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§ Private Profile · Montréal, QC, Canada
Zapper is a technology company.
Zapper develops a comprehensive mobile payment and marketing platform, primarily leveraging QR code technology for secure transactions. It integrates payment processing with data-driven marketing tools, enabling businesses to engage customers through loyalty programs and in-app messaging, alongside e-commerce and Tap-on-Phone solutions. These services are designed to streamline operations and enhance consumer interaction for its merchant base.
Zapper was founded in South Africa in 2011 by David De Villiers. De Villiers identified a market need for a secure, accessible mobile payment system offering integrated marketing capabilities to merchants. His vision focused on creating an ecosystem where payment data actively drives customer engagement and business expansion, providing more than just transactional utility for its users.
The platform primarily serves businesses across South Africa, aiding them in processing payments and expanding customer reach. Zapper’s vision empowers businesses by transforming payment interactions into valuable marketing opportunities. It continuously evolves its integrated financial and marketing solutions, fostering sustained business growth and enhancing customer loyalty for its diverse clientele.
Zapper has raised $17.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Zapper has raised $17.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Zapper is a South African fintech company founded in 2012, headquartered in Cape Town, that provides a mobile payments app and marketing platform powered by QR code, URL-based, and API-integrated payment solutions.[1][3][5] It serves merchants, retailers, and business owners by enabling lightning-fast, secure transactions, data-driven insights, loyalty programs, rewards, discounts, flexible funding, and real-time monitoring, while customers benefit from hassle-free payments and personalized experiences.[1][3][5] With 97 employees, $70.1 million in revenue, over 150K app downloads (as of 2016), and 12K businesses served (as of 2019), Zapper demonstrates strong growth momentum in the payments ecosystem, now partnering with major players to reach 30+ million potential customers and supporting 31,000 South African businesses.[1][3][5]
Zapper was founded in 2012 in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, emerging as an IT services and fintech innovator focused on mobile payments.[1][3] Key leaders include CEO Brett White and CFO Antony Berchowitz, with Stephen Smith as Head of Marketing; the company has grown to 97 employees while maintaining its core address at Heron Crescent, Boulevard Place.[1][3] Early traction built on its popular Zapper app, which quickly gained trust through instant recognition via merchant logos, evolving from basic QR code payments to a comprehensive ecosystem including APIs, SDKs, eCommerce plugins, Tap-on-Phone, and business funding tools without compound interest.[1][5] Pivotal moments include scaling to 150K app downloads by 2016 and 12K businesses by 2019, solidifying its position in South Africa's cashless payment shift.[3]
Zapper stands out in the fintech space through these key strengths:
Zapper rides the global wave of cashless and QR-based payments, accelerated by mobile adoption in emerging markets like South Africa, where digital transactions are displacing cash amid rising smartphone penetration.[1][3][5] Timing is ideal post-2012 founding, aligning with fintech booms, eCommerce growth, and post-pandemic contactless demands, plus partnerships expanding reach to 30+ million users.[5] Favorable market forces include South Africa's push for financial inclusion, demand for data-driven retail, and no-interest funding amid economic pressures, positioning Zapper to capture share from traditional gateways.[1][5] It influences the ecosystem by empowering 31,000 SMEs with marketing tools, fostering loyalty in fragmented markets and setting standards for integrated payments-marketing platforms.[5]
Zapper is primed for expansion beyond South Africa, leveraging its payments-marketing synergy to penetrate pan-African and global emerging markets amid rising digital wallets and open banking trends.[1][5] Upcoming catalysts include deeper AI-driven personalization from transaction data, broader eCommerce integrations, and potential funding rounds building on its $70M revenue base to fuel international scaling.[1] As contactless payments and loyalty tech evolve, Zapper's all-in-one model could amplify its influence, transforming it from a regional leader into a fintech powerhouse—much like how it started by making "payments personal and rewarding," now set to redefine growth for merchants worldwide.[5]
Zapper has raised $17.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $15.0M Series A in May 2021.
Zapper has raised $17.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Zapper's investors include Framework Ventures, Acrew Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Cadenza Capital Management, Craft Ventures, Curie.Bio, Curious Capital, Draper Associates, FJ Labs, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Krillion Ventures, Night Ventures.