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Outpost

Category: AI in Fintech

Outpost is an AI-powered cross-border commerce platform that acts as a legally liable Merchant of Record and Tax of Record, enabling merchants to sell worldwide with zero liability. Outpost was founded in 2023. The company is led by Will Mahon-Heap. Based in London, England, United Kingdom. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $20.5M. Latest round: Series A. Key investors include Ribbit Capital, Better Tomorrow Ventures.

Founded
2023
Headquarters
London, England, United Kingdom
Team size
11-50
Total funding
$20.5M

Value proposition

Outpost enables merchants to sell worldwide with zero liability by acting as their legally liable local entity — handling payments, tax compliance, customs, and regulatory risk through a proprietary AI engine trained on millions of pages of trade regulation.

Products and solutions

Merchant of Record (dedicated local entity per market, local acquiring, higher approval rates), Tax of Record (full liability for VAT/GST/sales tax across 58+ jurisdictions, automated filing, audit handling), Importer of Record (customs declarations, duty calculation, AI-powered HS code classification for physical goods)

Unique value

The only cross-border commerce platform that absorbs full tax liability (VAT/GST/sales tax) and audit risk, with dedicated (non-pooled) local entities per merchant, AI-powered real-time tax classification across 20,000+ jurisdictions, and PSP-agnostic integration.

Target customer

Subscription platforms, consumer software companies, cross-border eCommerce brands, B2B SaaS companies, marketplaces, and direct-to-consumer merchants selling internationally

Industries served

E-commerce, SaaS / Digital Subscriptions, B2B Cross-border Commerce, Physical Goods / Logistics, Marketplaces

Technology advantage

Proprietary AI engine trained on millions of pages of trade regulation; real-time monitoring of 20,000+ tax jurisdictions; dedicated (non-pooled) local entities per merchant; full liability absorption (audit risk, penalties); PSP-agnostic integration layer; 58+ markets covered with new country launches every ~6 weeks

How they differentiate

Unlike competitors (Paddle, FastSpring, Digital River) who pool merchants under shared entities and offer software tools for compliance, Outpost creates dedicated local entities per merchant (no contamination of approval rates) and absorbs full tax liability — including audit risk and penalties. The AI engine provides real-time customs classification and tax treatment across 20,000+ jurisdictions.

Main competitors

Paddle, FastSpring, Digital River, Stripe Tax, Shopify Markets

Key partnerships

PSP-agnostic integrations with Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com, Nuvei, offices in London (HQ), Amsterdam, and New York (opening)

Notable customers

Swans UK (Jess Thorpe, founder), global consumer app generating $500M+ annual revenue (unnamed), subscription platforms and cross-border eCommerce brands across Europe, North America, LATAM, and Asia

Major milestones

Founded 2023/2024 by Will Mahon-Heap (ex-Revolut international expansion lead), $3M Seed round led by Better Tomorrow Ventures (2025), $17.5M Series A led by Ribbit Capital (March 2026), Expanded to 58+ markets in ~18 months, Processes $1B+ annually for merchants

Growth metrics

Processes $1B+ annually; merchants see 10-15% increase in payment approval rates; average revenue increase of $500K per merchant; 58+ markets covered; new country launched every ~6 weeks

Market positioning

Category-defining "zero liability infrastructure" for cross-border commerce — positioned as the Deel/Remote.com for global trade, targeting the gap between legacy Merchant of Record providers (pooled entities, software-only compliance) and the growing complexity of tariffs, Brexit, and regulatory fragmentation.

Geographic focus

Europe, North America, LATAM, APAC

Patents and IP

Proprietary AI engine trained on millions of pages of trade regulation (no specific patent numbers publicly disclosed)

About Will Mahon-Heap

Ex-Revolut (led international expansion, launched first international market in Australia, rolled out to Brazil/India/Philippines, oversaw 22 licence applications); Ex-Chief Business Officer at Wayflyer ($1B+ lent); Ex-lawyer at Russell McVeagh; Co-founded Equitise (crowdfunding fintech startup)

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