One-Stop-Shop Payment Gateway Craftgate Secures $2 Million Seed Investment

Craftgate, a one-stop-shop payment gateway that enables businesses to manage their virtual POS systems, contracted payment/e-money institutions, and alternative payment methods from a single platform, has raised a $2 million seed investment.

Founded in 2020 and operating as a technopark company under Yıldız Technical University, Craftgate continues its R&D activities with a team specialized in financial technologies. Over the past year, the company has achieved over 1200% growth, attracting strong interest from fintech investors.

In the investment round, APY Ventures participated as the lead investor with $1 million, while Ak Portföy and Boğaziçi Ventures each invested $500,000, supporting Craftgate’s growth.

“We Will Invest in Growth Through Marketing”

Co-founder and CEO Hakan Erdoğan stated that the investment will be used to expand the team and focus on marketing and sales activities, adding:

“We have a strong product and technological infrastructure. With the experience we’ve built in fintech in Türkiye, we support businesses in their growth. With investors who believe in our team, product, and vision, we have strengthened our position and are now ready to pursue even bigger goals together.”

Albaraka Portfolio CEO Emin Özer commented that they are pleased to lead the investment round through APY Ventures, emphasizing that fintech is one of the key focus areas of their Bilişim Vadisi Venture Capital Fund.

He also noted that with the participation of their Fintech-focused fund, along with Albaraka’s digital and traditional banking experience, the collaboration between Bilişim Vadisi and Craftgate is expected to create strong synergy.

This investment marks APY Ventures’ 12th investment in 2022 and the 11th investment of the Bilişim Vadisi GSYF, as the firm continues progressing toward its goal of completing over 30 investments by year-end.