Willa

What Willa does

Willa is a Los Angeles- and Stockholm-headquartered fintech company founded in 2019 that provides payment management infrastructure for creative freelancers, influencers, and the agencies and brands that pay them. The core WillaPay platform is a mobile-first (iOS) product that enables freelancers to issue professional invoices, request payment from clients, receive funds via multiple methods (ACH, PayPal, wire, card, check), and access a dedicated human collections team for overdue accounts. The platform automates W-9 collection and tax documentation, and offers a Cash Out feature that advances funds on qualified invoices before client payment. Willa extends into B2B through Willa Enterprise, an API-driven solution used by over 200 agencies and brands to automate bulk creator payouts and commission management, and into consumer banking through the Willa Visa Debit Card (issued by Piermont Bank) with bundled CPA tax preparation for high-spending users. The company has verified 5.9 million+ companies on its platform and serves 10,000+ creators.

Willa generates revenue primarily through transaction-based fees: 1.75% on Express Withdrawals, variable fees on Early Cash Out (functionally a receivables-financing product whose pricing varies by relationship tenure), and 1% on international debit card transactions. Core services — account registration, customer support, unlimited payment requests, ACH withdrawal, and collections — are free, creating a freemium funnel that monetizes at the point of speed-of-payment and float-based services. The go-to-market combines product-led growth through the self-serve iOS app with enterprise field sales for Willa Enterprise, supported by community-led adoption among the creator/freelancer ecosystem and earned media coverage in TechCrunch, the Wall Street Journal, and Efma.

The company has raised $21 million across a $3M seed round (EQT Ventures, June 2020) and an $18M Series A (FinTech Collective lead, July 2021). Founders Kristofer Sommestad (CEO), Stefan Pettersson (CTO), Aron Levin (CMO), and Peter Blom (CPO) are alumni of the Spotify growth team and Relatable, an influencer marketing agency, lending domain credibility to the creator-economy vertical. Compliance posture includes PCI DSS Level 1 payment processing, CCPA compliance, and a banking partnership with Piermont Bank (Member FDIC). Geographic scope is currently restricted to U.S.-based users with U.S. bank accounts and phone numbers, despite the Stockholm co-headquarters and European investor base.

Name

Willa

Legal name

Willa Inc.

Website

https://willapay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Willa is a fintech platform that enables creative freelancers and influencers to invoice brands and agencies, receive instant payments, automate tax paperwork, and access early cash-out funding. It also serves agencies and brands through its Enterprise API for bulk creator payouts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freelancer & Creator Payment Platform

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Contractor / Freelancer Payments (FSAMAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE), Contractor Benefits & Perks Administration (BPACAGAJ)

Keywords

• Freelancer payment platform
• Creator payout solutions
• Instant invoice payments
• Enterprise creator payouts
• Freelancer debit card

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Express Withdrawal Fee: 1.75% fee charged for instant/Express Withdrawal when freelancers transfer funds out of their Willa account.
2. Early Cash Out: Variable fee for getting paid upfront for qualified invoices before client payment. Fee is based on relationship tenure and other factors.
3. International Transaction Fee: 1% fee on ATM or POS transactions conducted outside the United States for debit card users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Willa operates WillaPay, a fintech payment platform that enables U.S.-based freelancers and creators to send payment requests to brands and agencies, receive instant payouts, and outsource invoicing, W-9 paperwork, and collections. Willa Enterprise sells API-driven automated creator payout workflows to brands, agencies, talent managers, and tech platforms, and the Willa Debit Card adds expense tracking plus complimentary CPA tax preparation for qualifying users.

Product overview

Willa is a fintech company offering WillaPay, a unified payment management platform for creators and freelancers. The core product enables instant payment requests with guaranteed payment, automated invoicing, and collections support. The platform is extended through Willa Enterprise for businesses (brands, agencies, talent managers) to automate creator payouts via API, and the Willa Debit Card for business expense management with complimentary CPA tax preparation. Key features include Willa Cash Out for early payouts, Express Withdrawal, and automated W-9/tax form collection. Willa is co-headquartered in Los Angeles and Stockholm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Willa Enterprise: Enterprise platform for brands, agencies, and talent managers to automate creator payments and manage payouts
• Willa Debit Card

Products and services

• WillaPay (Core Platform) Mobile-first fintech payment platform for U.S.-based freelancers and creators to send payment requests to agencies and brands, receive guaranteed instant payouts (with Cash Out for qualified invoices), and outsource invoicing, W-9 collection, and late-payment collections.
• Willa Enterprise Enterprise solution for brands, agencies, talent managers, and tech platforms to automate creator payouts, manage commissions, eliminate vendor onboarding paperwork, and initiate instant payouts to creators without cash-flow impact, via direct platform access and API integration.
• Willa Debit Card Visa debit card for creators and freelancers (issued by Piermont Bank, Member FDIC, under a Visa U.S.A. Inc. license) with business expense tracking, no setup or monthly fees, and free CPA tax preparation when the user spends $10,000+ on the card annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• Freelancers get paid same day campaigns close, eliminating weeks or months of waiting
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Piermont BankcoreOthersPartner bank providing FDIC-insured banking services for Willa. Issues the Willa Visa Debit Card pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Willa is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Piermont Bank, Member FDIC.
• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationLicenses Visa U.S.A. Inc. brand for the Willa Visa Debit Card which can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Provides fraud alerts program via email, phone, and text messages.
• National Museum of World WritingminorOthersWilla supports the audio docent service of the National Museum of World Writing's planning exhibition, related to an exhibit focusing on world writing systems.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lili Bank: Lili offers mobile-first banking, tax tools, and invoicing tailored to freelancers and solo entrepreneurs in the U.S. It is a direct competitor to Willa, addressing the same freelancer pain points of cash flow, taxes, and payment management.
• Found: Found provides banking, bookkeeping, and tax services built for self-employed individuals and freelancers, with a mobile-first experience similar to Willa. It directly competes for the same freelancer/creator segment with a comparable product surface.
• Novo: Novo is a digital banking platform targeting small businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs with invoicing, payments, and expense management. It competes with Willa in freelancer/small-business banking and payments.
• Bonsai: Bonsai is an all-in-one business management platform for freelancers covering contracts, proposals, time tracking, invoicing, and payments. It overlaps with Willa on freelancer invoicing and payment workflows.

Emerging players

• Karbon Card: Karbon provides corporate cards and expense management for freelancers, startups, and small businesses in India, with comparable freelancer-focused features. It is an emerging player with partial overlap in freelancer banking and payments.

Broad incumbents

• Mercury: Mercury is a digital banking platform for startups and businesses offering payments, treasury, and API-driven banking. It operates as a broader incumbent in the small-business/entrepreneur banking space that increasingly overlaps with Willa's enterprise segment.
• QuickBooks Self-Employed: QuickBooks Self-Employed offers tax tracking, invoicing, and expense management for freelancers and self-employed workers, backed by Intuit. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping freelancer tax and invoicing capabilities.
• Stripe: Stripe is a global payment infrastructure provider offering Stripe Connect for marketplaces and platforms, including creator/freelancer payouts. It is a broad incumbent whose Connect and Issuing products compete with Willa's enterprise payment and API offering.
• PayPal: PayPal is a global payments giant offering invoicing, payouts, and freelancer-friendly tools via PayPal Working Capital. As a broad incumbent, it competes with Willa on freelancer payment acceptance and disbursement.

Regional players

• Holvi: Holvi is a European digital banking service for freelancers and small businesses, originally founded by Johan Lorenzen (an angel investor in Willa). It is a regional player serving the same freelancer segment in Europe that Willa plans to expand into.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/willapay
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxM1_8xGk1P3Jz9Vn9k3Q_g
• Facebookfacebook.com/willapay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willacompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/willapay

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Willa