Belgium-based Chift, a provider of unified APIs for business software integrations, announced that it has raised €2.3M in a seed round of funding from investment firms and business angels to support its growth.
The round was led by Entourage, a Ghent-based fund specialising in B2B SaaS, founded by Pieterjan Bouten, the former CEO of Showpad.
Other investors include Shapers, a fintech-focused fund based in Lisbon managed by Philippe Teixeira da Mota, who has a track record with companies like Qonto, Lydia, and N26.
Seeder Fund, an early investor, increased its stake in Chift due to the company’s recent growth trajectory.
Additionally, business angels from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Spain, all leaders in the fintech industry, also participated in the funding round.
Chift founder, Gauthier Henroz, says, “We received a lot of interest for our fundraising, allowing us to choose the best investors in terms of personal fit, expertise, and network. The new investors had the best arguments: Entourage for its network and “founder-led” DNA and Shapers for its incredible fintech expertise.”
“Our business angels are also extremely well-connected in the sector and throughout Europe. We are thrilled to have them on board!”
Chift eases integrations for software vendors
According to Chift, integrations empower SaaS companies to link with other software products, often using application programming interfaces (APIs), to enhance user value. With a growing array of business software in the market, it’s crucial yet complex for SaaS firms to develop, maintain, and monitor integrations with various third-party vendors.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) rely on over 20 SaaS applications on average, which must be synchronised to maximise value and prevent data silos. However, building these integrations is complex and expensive.
Chift streamlines operations for SaaS companies and developers by simplifying business software integrations through unified APIs. This approach grants access to multiple software connections with just one integration, saving time, money, and resources.
Henry Hertoghe, CTO of Chift, says, “By integrating with Chift, SaaS companies allow their clients—often SMEs—to connect their financial tools with a single click. It is a game-changer in terms of productivity.”
Through Chift’s platform, businesses can enhance their core product offerings, gain a competitive edge, expand their Total Addressable Market (TAM), and foster collaboration within the fintech ecosystem.
Founded in 2022 by Gauthier Henroz, Henry Hertoghe, and Matthieu Hertoghe, Chift onboarded clients in Belgium and France. The company is currently active in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
Capital utilisation
The funding will propel Chift’s early growth, aiming to lead in providing European SaaS companies with the fastest and “most” secure integration solutions, benefiting developers, customers, users, and partners.
In 2024, Chift claims to have established itself in the European software industry by attracting leading fintech clients such as Pennylane, Agicap, Pleo, Mollie, and Qonto, facilitating streamlined integrations with other business software providers.
With the raised funding, the company plans to recruit new people for each role and double its team by 2025.
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