London, November 15, 2022 — Runa (previously WeGift) the industry leader in digital payouts, announced the closing of a £26 million Series B, furthering its mission to allow anyone to transfer any digital currency more freely across the globe.
New investors included Element Ventures [now 13books], which led the round, along with Clocktower Ventures and Volution Capital. Existing investors, including CommerzVentures, AlbionVC and SAP, increased their investments.
Runa (previously WeGift) is at the forefront of the payouts revolution, making digital currency and stored value of any kind move more efficiently among organisations, merchants and individuals. The company has doubled revenue annually every year since its founding and expects that trend to continue. The funds will be used to expand its digital currency network, support growth in new geographies – with a focus on North America – make key hires, and add new features and functionality to its already-robust solution.
We’re building the world’s leading infrastructure for moving stored value
Said Aron Alexander, CEO and founder. He added: “Innovations in payouts have been few and far between, leading to solutions that no longer match the speed with which business operates. Our digital currency network gives corporate and platform users powerful tools to incentivize, reward, drive conversion, disburse funds and more.”
The investment comes at an exciting time for Runa. The company surpassed 120 employees in October and recently announced major wins in new customers and brands added to its network. So far in 2022, Runa has added well over 100 brands, including AirBnB, Nike, Instacart, Dunkin’, Aldi and many more. New customers include Mint Mobile, WishList, ThanksBen and Xoxoday.
Among those new additions are a number of key members of the leadership team. Robert Lang, special partner at Vitruvian Partners, joined in August as Chairman of the board. Brendan Miller, formerly of Rapyd, joins the company as Chief Marketing Officer, and Ashley Stepien, formerly of Ramp, has joined in an advisory capacity.
Element Ventures [now 13books] is honoured to partner with Runa on their journey to becoming a global digital currency network.
Michael McFadgen, Partner at Element Ventures [now 13books] said. “They’ve created a simple, elegant solution to an extremely complex problem, and they have fantastic traction. They’re well positioned to have a major impact on how value moves and commerce functions. We look forward to working with them in the years to come as they revolutionise payouts.”
“There’s an enormous and growing need for instant, efficient payouts,” said Heiko Schwender, a partner with CommerzVentures and a Series A investor. “Runa are at the convergence of a massive opportunity created by a blend of factors, including remote work, the gig economy, eCommerce adoption and increased customer expectations. They’re a true innovator at the forefront of an industry with huge growth potential, and we’re thrilled to take this journey with them.”
About Runa
Runa enables some of the largest and most-influential companies to disburse funds to the people they serve for rewards, refunds, rebates, remittances and more. The Runa network connects merchants, individuals and organisations to instantly send digital currencies around the globe. Runa removes friction to make payouts fast, affordable, effortless, and personalised. Operating in more than 30 countries, 20 currencies and more than a dozen languages, Runa’s catalogue includes more than 1,500 beloved brands from around the world. Our customers include Sodexo, Vodafone, Wonde, Mint Mobile and many more.
To join Runa – whether as a customer, prospective employee or to be added to the network – please visit Runa careers page.
