Paynear raises $2.5 mln

Payments solution startup Paynear today said it has raised $2.5 million (about Rs 16 crore) as part of its USD 10 million fund raising plan.

Mumbai: Payments solution startup Paynear today said it has raised $2.5 million (about Rs 16 crore) as part of its $10 million fund raising plan.

The city-based company founded in 2013 has raised the money from serial investor Mitesh Majithia, a statement issued here said.

It has a presence in 20 cities with over 4,000 active devices and aims to be the largest player in the merchant specific solution industry including payment processing.

The company helps people accept card payments for their business and is aiming to build a service which helps merchants to engage and reward customers, it said.

"This funding will help us in our expansion, increase our technical capabilities and also grow our sales," Paynear Solutions managing director and chief strategy officer Prabhu Ram said.

Majithia has joined the board of the company, he said, adding that it is looking for another round of funding.

Speaking about what drew him to invest, Majithia said mPOS (point of sale) and mobile payments are the next big thing and have a huge market potential in the Indian payment scenario.

Majithia is a software developer-turned-entrepreneur who has invested in companies form the e-commerce, mobile, software and payment spaces in the US and India, it said.