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Basis Theory

Category: AI in Fintech

A developer‑friendly platform for tokenizing, securing, and managing sensitive payment data to build compliant payment applications with AI‑driven optimization. Basis Theory was founded in 2020. The company is led by Colin Luce. Based in Mill Valley, California, USA. Team size: 51-100. Total funding raised: $50M. Latest round: Series B ($33M raised October 14, 2025). Key investors include Costanoa Ventures (Lead Investor), Bessemer Venture Partners, Stage 2 Capital, Moneta VC, Kindred Ventures, Box Group, Offline Ventures.

Founded
2020
Headquarters
Mill Valley, California, USA
Team size
51-100
Total funding
$50M

Value proposition

Provides a compliant, developer‑first platform that simplifies securing and managing sensitive payment data, enabling companies to build and scale payment products faster while avoiding vendor lock‑in with payment service providers through PSP‑agnostic tokenisation and routing.

Products and solutions

Payment Token Vault, Payment Orchestration and Routing, PCI Blueprint for compliance, Data Tokenisation API, Unified Platform for Agentic Commerce, Network Tokens, Account Updater, 3D Secure Support, Custom Payment Flows, Enhanced BIN Service

Unique value

Basis Theory's platform is unique in its developer‑first, API‑driven approach that decouples sensitive payment data from specific payment processors. This PSP‑agnostic model gives companies greater control and flexibility over their payment stack and introduces "Agentic Commerce," integrating AI with secure payment infrastructure to automate and optimise transactions.

Target customer

Developers, fintech companies, e‑commerce platforms, and enterprises looking to build or optimise their payment infrastructure with tokenisation and orchestration capabilities.

Industries served

Fintech, E‑commerce, Financial Services, Payments, Subscription Platforms, Creator Economy, Digital Health, Gaming, Vertical SaaS

Technology advantage

Provides a PCI Level 1, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and HIPAA compliant environment out‑of‑the‑box, drastically reducing time and resources needed to build secure, compliant payment systems. The token vault lets businesses retain ownership of payment data without the compliance overhead, enabling multi‑PSP strategies with intelligent routing.

How they differentiate

Basis Theory differentiates itself by offering a flexible, developer‑first platform that combines tokenisation, orchestration, and routing in one solution. Features such as intelligent payment routing, network tokens, and multi‑PSP support give customers more control compared with competitors that provide more rigid, single‑purpose offerings.

Main competitors

Very Good Security (VGS), TokenEx / IXOPAY, Skyflow, Evervault, Primer, Spreedly, Gr4vy

Key partnerships

Mastercard (advancing agentic commerce), Alloy (identity and risk management), Secureframe (automating compliance), Agentic Commerce Consortium (industry collaboration), Bluefin (unified tokenization across digital and in-person payments)

Notable customers

Pinterest, Melio, MoneyGram, Passes, Method, Matic

Major milestones

Closed $33M Series‑B funding round (Oct 2025), Named a Rising Star in Forbes Cloud 100 list, Achieved PCI Level 1, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and HIPAA compliance, Launched Agentic Commerce platform integrating AI with payment infrastructure, Expanded team to 51 full‑time employees, Formed strategic partnerships with Mastercard and other industry leaders, Partnered with Bluefin for unified tokenization across digital and in-person payments (Feb 2026)

Growth metrics

Specific growth metrics are not publicly disclosed. The $33M Series B round, expansion to 40+ employees, and inclusion in Forbes Cloud 100 Rising Stars indicate strong traction.

Market positioning

Positioned as a secure, compliant, developer‑friendly payment infrastructure provider that enables companies to build sophisticated payment systems without taking on full PCI compliance burdens. It acts as a neutral third‑party layer to avoid vendor lock‑in while optimising payment performance.

Geographic focus

Headquartered in the United States (Mill Valley, California) and serves a global market, with strong focus on North America and Europe.

Patents and IP

No public patents found as of December 2025.

About Colin Luce

Over a decade of experience building and operating fintech companies, including leadership roles at Yodlee, Klarna, and Figure. Co‑founder and CEO of Basis Theory since 2020, focusing on payment infrastructure and data security.

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