Hard Yaka

Hard Yaka is an investment firm based in Crystal Bay, Nevada, founded in 2010. It pursues technology investments across private equity and venture capital, including buyouts and distressed opportunities, and it frequently seeks majority stakes. The firm focuses on digital transformation infrastructure, including portable identity, payments, marketplaces, and regtech, and also backs early-stage opportunities in exchange space startups, targeting verticals within exchange markets as well as horizontals such as messaging and payments across exchange sectors.

Pep Gomez

Partner

Jun Hiraga

Managing Partner

Kevin Leiske JD

Partner

Margaret Slemmer

Investor

Katie Sullivan

Partner

Past deals in API

Emerge

Series A in 2024
Emerge is a financial management tool for businesses. It is a digital-only banking option designed to help Kiwi businesses operate more quickly, economically, and efficiently.

Omnumi

Seed Round in 2023
Omnumi is a company that offers a blockchain-based platform designed to facilitate digital asset management and payment processing with a strong emphasis on identity and compliance. It is the first platform to integrate digital identity into a fully compliant infrastructure, allowing users to control and manage their digital assets securely. By providing simple APIs and digital wallets, Omnumi enables the execution of financial disbursements while positioning itself as a trusted intermediary for various financial transactions. The company's focus on compliance and identity assurance allows it to establish partnerships with global, regional, and national banking networks and regulators, fostering trust in its operations and services.

Figment Networks

Series B in 2021
Figment Networks develops open-source tools for crypto network health monitoring, enabling informed staking decisions. It focuses on networks like Tezos, Cosmos, Livepeer, and Horizen. Based in Toronto, Canada, the company was founded in 2018.

ModernTax

Seed Round in 2021
ModernTax is API platform that enables financial and fintech companies to access and verified IRS taxpayer records and (2) an employee financial benefits platform providing benefits teams with a comprehensive tool to automate taxable events. ModernTax answers the tax and accounting industry’s need for: 1. Connection between taxpayers and business providers 2. Accessibility of tax data and virtual tax filing services 3. Efficiency of processes for tax and accounting service providers

Coinme

Venture Round in 2020
Coinme operates the largest licensed cryptocurrency cash exchange in the United States, providing a nationwide network of bitcoin ATMs, a digital wallet, and exchange services. Through partnerships with Coinstar and MoneyGram, customers can buy and sell bitcoin with cash at thousands of locations in 48 states. The company also offers an enterprise-grade API and tools that enable legacy financial systems and merchants to crypto-enable their operations, along with consumer products to buy, store, and manage digital currencies. Founded in 2014 and based in Seattle, Coinme aims to broaden access to digital currencies and facilitate easy, secure transactions.

StandardC

Pre Seed Round in 2020
StandardC offers a modular platform for streamlined compliance processes across identity verification, due diligence, and ongoing monitoring. Serving various industries including banking, lending, and real estate, StandardC's transparent pay-per-use pricing model ensures accessibility to businesses of all sizes. The platform integrates seamlessly with enterprise software, minimizing disruptions while maximizing efficiency.

Castle

Seed Round in 2016
Castle is a technology company that specializes in online fraud prevention. It offers an API-based solution that enables businesses of all sizes to detect and mitigate user account fraud, a capability previously accessible only to large financial institutions. Castle's platform tracks and analyzes user behavior in real-time, using a wide range of signals such as device fingerprints, keystroke dynamics, and browsing history. When suspicious activity is detected, both the business administrator and the affected user are alerted, allowing for swift and appropriate action. This service is designed to protect a broad spectrum of online businesses, including e-commerce platforms, mobile applications, and cryptocurrency services.

ShapeShift

Seed Round in 2016
ShapeShift is a digital currency exchange platform established in July 2014, designed to facilitate the instant conversion of Bitcoin and various altcoins. The platform distinguishes itself by allowing users to trade cryptocurrencies without the need for user accounts or registration, thereby enhancing privacy and reducing risks associated with personal information and funds. In the summer of 2019, ShapeShift introduced a new platform that empowers users to self-custody their crypto assets while providing functionalities to buy, sell, trade, track, send, and receive cryptocurrencies independently of third-party involvement. Additionally, the company operates CoinCap.io, a real-time crypto market data service, and acquired the hardware wallet company KeepKey in 2017. ShapeShift is led by industry veteran Erik Voorhees.

Alloy

Seed Round in 2015
Alloy is a technology company specializing in identity verification solutions for financial institutions. It offers an API-driven platform that simplifies fraud detection and compliance processes such as KYC, AML, and fraud prevention.

DigitalPay

Seed Round in 2015
DigitalPay is a San Francisco-based SaaS provider of digital payments, delivering a platform that enables secure, real-time payments to customers and vendors. Its gateway supports transfers across multiple payout networks through a single, unified experience, offering a choice of payment options to improve speed and convenience while reducing costs and fraud. The company serves industries including travel, consumer rebates, legal services, and contractor/freelance work. Founded in 2011, DigitalPay focuses on reliable, scalable digital payments for businesses.

Authy

Venture Round in 2014
Authy is a security technology company that offers two-factor authentication solutions. It provides a smartphone app for consumers, an API for developers, and an authentication platform for enterprises. Authy enables users to customize their security settings and ensures compliance with various global regulatory standards such as PCI, HIPAA, and FIPS 140. Its services protect numerous apps including Facebook, Gmail, and Dropbox, offering verification methods like unique codes, text messages, or singular answer questions displayed only on the user's mobile device.

chat.center

Seed Round in 2014
Chat Center is the best way to help customers or friends connect with you for Chat. Once you install the app you can claim a Chat Name. This name can be expressed as a URL. For example, the Chat Name for Chat Center Customer Care is http://chatcenter.me/cc. Anybody who clicks on the name is instantly in a chat with you. Because the name is a URL it can be shared anywhere. -- Businesses can put it on a web site to enable "Click to Chat" for customers. -- It can be placed in an email signature. -- Social Network members can place it in their profile to enable "Click to Chat" from the social network to the name owner. This works great on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or Ello for example. -- Including it in blog posts or other web pages, -- Share it in Tweets or Instagram messages, -- Or just share it with customers, friends and family privately. Our vision is that every business and individual on earth can have a Chat Name that links to their iPhone, allowing each of us to be connected to each other through a simple name. This approach means that those trying to chat with you do not need to have the Chat Center App. All they need is the name or a link. Most Names are Free. However we do have Premium Names for $1.99 a month or $19.99 annually. These are short names and familiar names, including Brands and Trademarks, Places, Common Names. But we have gone one step further. We have made every mobile number on earth a Chat Address for outbound messaging. Chat Center imports your contacts from your address book into the app. From the very start, and with no effort, you can start a chat with any of your contacts for whom you already have a mobile number. They will reply to you right in chat center. This is Free outbound messaging. No SMS bills. By installing Chat Center on your iPhone or iPad you will get alerts and notifications for all inbound chats. Of course you can choose to answer or block any chat request.

3scale

Venture Round in 2013
3scale is a developer of application programming interface (API) management technology that facilitates the secure and effective distribution, control, and monetization of APIs. The platform offers various features, including access control, security measures, policy management, traffic monitoring, analytics, and billing tools, enabling companies to manage their APIs efficiently for both internal and external users. With a focus on performance and customer control, 3scale supports over 700 customer APIs, allowing organizations to distribute data and services across multiple devices and applications. Its clientele includes a diverse range of entities, from Fortune 500 companies to startups. The company operates offices in San Francisco, USA, and Barcelona, Spain, and is recognized for its contributions to the API Strategy & Practice Conference and APIs.io, the first open-source API search engine.

Marqeta

Series B in 2013
Marqeta operates a modern card issuing and payment processing platform that enables businesses to create customized payment solutions using open APIs. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Oakland, California, with an additional office in London, Marqeta's platform allows users to build, issue, and manage digital, physical, and tokenized payment cards. The company provides a range of services including virtual cards, real-time fund transfers, spend controls, and data analytics solutions. Marqeta serves various industries such as e-commerce, lending, on-demand services, and digital banking by offering flexible and scalable payment infrastructure. It is certified to operate in 40 countries globally.

Balanced

Venture Round in 2013
Balanced is the first payment system designed for marketplaces from the ground up. We provide a feature-rich, fully integrated api that allows marketplaces to charge cards, escrow funds, deposit next day via ACH direct, and collect their own marketplace fees.

EasyPost

Seed Round in 2012
EasyPost is a technology company that specializes in developing a shipping API designed to streamline logistics for eCommerce brands, fulfillment providers, and online marketplaces. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, EasyPost offers a comprehensive postage-as-a-service platform that allows users to purchase postage labels, check shipping rates, verify addresses, and track shipments across multiple carriers. The company's solutions cater to a diverse clientele, ranging from small and medium-sized businesses to large public companies. By simplifying the complexities of shipping logistics, EasyPost enhances the efficiency and affordability of shipping processes for its customers.
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