Yiftee
Yiftee operates a Mastercard-powered digital gift card and closed-loop local-currency platform serving cities, tourism boards, universities, employers, and 20,000+ merchants across 800+ US communities with tap-to-pay Community Cards.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersMenlo Park, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Yiftee does
Yiftee is a Menlo Park-based payments technology company that operates a Mastercard-powered digital gift card and local-currency platform. The company sells two core products on a shared closed-loop payment infrastructure: the Community Card Platform, which enables cities, chambers of commerce, tourism boards, universities, employers, and government agencies to issue custom-branded digital cards redeemable only at a curated network of approved local businesses; and Merchant & Franchise Cards, which lets individual businesses, restaurant groups, and franchise operators run their own branded digital gift card programs. Cards run on the Mastercard network with no special POS equipment required, load into Apple Pay and Google Pay, and as of June 2025 support Tap & Go contactless payments developed in partnership with Mastercard and Silicon Valley Bank. PCI compliance is inherited from the Mastercard network rather than built by Yiftee.
Yiftee's go-to-market is dual-track. For communities and large institutional buyers (the dominant revenue-driving segment indirectly), Yiftee runs enterprise field sales targeting economic development managers, city officials, HR leaders, and university administrators, supported by a deep case-study library. For individual merchants, it operates a self-serve PLG portal where SMBs can apply, get approved in minutes, and subscribe at $29.95/month for the first location plus $12/month per additional location. Revenue streams include merchant subscriptions, individual card eDelivery fees of $1.00 + 5% per card (waived on bulk corporate orders), and transaction economics on closed-loop volume. The platform is free to launch and administer for community programs, with monetization tied to merchant participation and transaction throughput.
The company is privately held, was founded in 2012 by CEO Donna Novitsky with co-founders Jon Kepecs and Aldo Briano, and has raised approximately $2.95 million across two early-stage rounds in 2013–2014 (Mohr Davidow Ventures and TransPacific Venture Partners). It serves 800+ communities and 20,000+ local businesses in the United States, with documented program outcomes including $1M reinvested in Franklin County KY businesses, $750K+ redeemed in Mason OH, and a $67-per-$100 local economic return cited from Civic Economics research. No AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in the product stack.
Yiftee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yiftee
- Legal name
- Yiftee, Inc.
- Website
- https://yiftee.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Yiftee operates a Mastercard-powered digital gift card and closed-loop local-currency platform serving cities, tourism boards, universities, employers, and 20,000+ merchants across 800+ US communities with tap-to-pay Community Cards.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Yiftee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Gift Card & Local Commerce Platform
- NAICS
- Credit Card Issuing (52221)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Closed-Loop Gift Cards (Single-Merchant) (FSAMANAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Card Issuing Platforms (Issuer Processing) (FSAGABAD), Card Issuing & Virtual Cards (lodge cards, single-use, tokenization) (THALAHAB)
Keywords
Where Yiftee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Menlo Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Yiftee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Community Card Platform: Free platform for communities, cities, and organizations to launch Community Card programs. Revenue is generated indirectly through merchant participation and transaction volume across the network.
- Merchant & Franchise Card Subscriptions: Monthly subscription model for individual merchants and franchises to sell branded digital gift cards. $29.95/month for first location, $12/month per additional location.
- Individual Card eDelivery Fees: Small eDelivery fee of $1.00 + 5% per individual card purchase. This fee can be waived on bulk orders through Rewards Hub corporate accounts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Community Card Platform - Free for communities |
| Subscription | Monthly | Merchant Card Subscription - $29.95/month |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Card Purchase - Face value + eDelivery fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Corporate Bulk Orders - Face value pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Yiftee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yiftee sells a digital closed-loop gift card and "local currency" platform built on the Mastercard network. Cities, tourism boards, universities, employers, and merchants use it to issue branded cards that can only be redeemed at approved local businesses, with Tap & Go contactless support via Apple Pay and Google Pay, real-time redemption dashboards, and no hardware requirement at the point of sale.
Product overview
Yiftee offers two core product lines built on a shared Mastercard-powered closed-loop payment infrastructure. The Community Card Platform serves institutional customers — cities, chambers, tourism boards, universities, and government agencies — who issue branded local currency cards to drive economic development, distribute aid, reward employees, or promote tourism. The Merchant & Franchise Cards product serves individual businesses and franchise operators who want their own custom-branded digital gift card programs. Both products share the same underlying Mastercard network integration, digital wallet support (Apple Pay, Google Pay), Tap & Go contactless acceptance, and merchant dashboard, but serve different buyers: institutional programs (Community Card) vs. individual merchant programs (Merchant & Franchise Cards). The platform also powers white-label community card programs for specific cities and causes (e.g., Come Together Mason Card, YES Card, Experience Princeton).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Community Card: A digital closed-loop gift card platform that keeps spending local at approved community businesses.
- Merchant & Franchise Cards
- YES Card
- Come Together Mason Card
Products and services
- Community Card Platform A closed-loop local-currency platform that enables cities, tourism boards, universities, employers, and local government programs to issue branded digital gift cards redeemable only at a curated network of approved local businesses. Free to launch and administer, with Tap & Go contactless via Mastercard, Apple Pay/Google Pay support, real-time redemption tracking, and Buy-One-Get-One promotions.
- Merchant & Franchise Cards Custom-branded digital eGift card platform for individual merchants, restaurant groups, franchise networks, and retail chains. Runs on the Mastercard network, requires no POS integration, and supports same-day credit card settlement. Includes real-time sales reporting, customer data tracking, marketing tools, and multi-location management from a single dashboard, at $29.95/month for the first location plus $12/month per additional location.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30% average overspend beyond card value reported by recipients
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Yiftee
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Yiftee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature5 records
Yiftee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- MastercardflagshipStrategic technology partnership powering the Community Card platform. Mastercard provides payment infrastructure, In Control for Mobile Payments technology, and Tap & Go contactless capabilities. Enables cards to work at any Mastercard accepting terminal globally while maintaining local spending restrictions.
- Silicon Valley Bank (division of First Citizens Bank)coreDevelopment partnership for Tap & Go contactless payment functionality on Community Cards. Silicon Valley Bank's technology division collaborated with Yiftee and Mastercard to enable secure mobile wallet integration.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Yiftee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Yiftee social profiles
Digital presenceYiftee compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Yiftee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yiftee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Yiftee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yiftee M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Yiftee
What does Yiftee do?
Yiftee sells a digital closed-loop gift card and "local currency" platform built on the Mastercard network. Cities, tourism boards, universities, employers, and merchants use it to issue branded cards that can only be redeemed at approved local businesses, with Tap & Go contactless support via Apple Pay and Google Pay, real-time redemption dashboards, and no hardware requirement at the point of sale.
Is Yiftee a public or private company?
Yiftee is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Yiftee founded?
Yiftee was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Yiftee based?
Yiftee is headquartered in Menlo Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Yiftee make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Community Card Platform is the primary driver. The others are merchant & Franchise Card Subscriptions and individual Card eDelivery Fees.
Does Yiftee have an API?
Yes. Yiftee supports API and webhook integration for HRIS systems, property management systems, and bulk administrative workflows. Corporate pages reference direct API + webhook capability for enterprise integration. No public developer portal or API documentation URL was found in the source material.
What industry is Yiftee in?
Yiftee's product category is Digital Gift Card & Local Commerce Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMANAB, Closed-Loop Gift Cards (Single-Merchant), with a secondary code of FSAGABAD, Card Issuing Platforms (Issuer Processing). Its NAICS code is 52221 and its SIC code is 6199.