BuildUp

What BuildUp does

BuildUp, operated by Massive Solutions Inc and BuildUp Advisers LLC under Delaware law, is a US-based fintech platform that combines mobile point-of-sale payment infrastructure, a network-wide loyalty rewards system called BLD, and a DeFi-powered community lending pool. The company targets local small businesses and the community shoppers who frequent them, with a stated thesis that recirculating spend locally (the platform cites that 67 cents of every dollar stays local at community businesses versus 43 cents at non-local businesses) creates durable economic value. Its core products are a smartphone-based tap-to-pay POS that eliminates new hardware requirements, a cross-merchant BLD rewards currency redeemable across the network, a Community Pool that uses pooled capital to lend to local businesses with revenue-share repayment, and a four-tier Partner Program for distribution leverage. Underlying technology includes decentralized finance and blockchain architecture, modern payment rails to reduce processing costs (the platform claims businesses retain up to half of what they would otherwise pay in card fees), and Plaid integration for secure bank account connectivity that powers rounding, lending, and wallet features. The company is founder-led by Andrew Thomas (CEO) and Padmanabhan VijaiSenthil (CTO), with a small advisory bench covering legal, blockchain, and finance functions.

BuildUp's business model rests on three revenue mechanics: a reduced but positive transaction fee on payment processing (lower than traditional card processors but not zero), a small revenue share from businesses repaying community loans (redistributed to pool contributors), and commission economics shared with partners (up to 30% to affiliates, up to 20% to integrated payment partners). The Community Growth Partner tier offers three months of free transaction fees to referred SMBs as an acquisition incentive. Go-to-market is community-led and product-led: direct mobile app onboarding on iOS and Android is paired with referral, affiliate, nonprofit/chamber-of-commerce, and SaaS/fintech integration channels. The platform is currently raising capital via Regulation Crowdfunding on WeFunder rather than institutional venture capital, and the company is reported to have zero powered merchants to date, indicating pre-traction status. Headcount is in the 1–10 range with operational execution concentrated in founders and a small operational team.

Name

BuildUp

Legal name

Massive Solutions Inc

Website

https://buildupsmb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BuildUp is a US fintech platform combining smartphone tap-to-pay POS, a network-wide BLD loyalty rewards system, and DeFi-powered community lending, targeting local small businesses and the community shoppers who frequent them.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Mobile Payments

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Store POS Installment Financing (FSAKAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Third-Party POS Installment Financing Platforms (FSAKAFAB)

Keywords

• Mobile payment processing
• Small business POS
• Community lending platform
• Local loyalty rewards
• DeFi payment infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fee Reduction: BuildUp reduces payment processing costs for local businesses by using modern payment rails. While they charge some transaction fees, businesses keep up to half of what they would normally lose to card fees with traditional processors.
2. Community Pool Interest: Users earn yield by participating in the community pool which loans capital to small businesses. Interest is shared with users who contributed to the loans, creating a passive income stream.
3. Revenue Share from Business Loans: Businesses repay loans via a small revenue share, which is redistributed as passive income to community pool participants while reinvesting in the local community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BuildUp operates a mobile-first POS and payments platform that lets local small businesses accept tap-to-pay card payments with no new hardware, reducing card processing fees by up to half. Shoppers using the app earn BLD loyalty points redeemable across the BuildUp merchant network and can round up purchases toward community financing. A DeFi-enabled community pool lets users contribute capital to pooled loans for local businesses, with loan repayment distributed as a revenue share back to contributors.

Product overview

BuildUp is a unified fintech platform combining Point-of-Sale payment infrastructure, community-based lending, and a loyalty rewards system. The core platform comprises three integrated products: the BuildUp POS system for tap-to-pay payments with reduced fees, the BLD Rewards Program enabling shoppers to earn and redeem points network-wide, and the Community Pool/Lending Platform connecting investors with local businesses via pooled loans with revenue-share repayment. An additional Partner Program enables third parties to integrate payment solutions or refer businesses for commissions. All products leverage decentralized finance and blockchain technology to maintain transparency and community ownership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BuildUp POS (Point-of-Sale) Infrastructure Mobile-first POS infrastructure that lets local small businesses accept tap-to-pay card payments using their existing smartphone or POS setup, with no new hardware required. Advertised to cut card processing fees by up to half through modern payment rails and to settle payments quickly to a digital wallet.
• BLD Rewards Program Loyalty rewards program where shoppers automatically earn BLD points on purchases at BuildUp-participating local businesses; points are redeemable at any business in the BuildUp network and are accompanied by optional roundup contributions to community financing.
• Community Pool Lending Platform Decentralized finance-powered platform that lets users contribute capital to pooled loans for local small businesses; businesses repay through a small revenue share that is redistributed as passive income to contributing pool participants while reinvesting in the local community.
• BuildUp Partner Program Multi-tier partner platform with three tracks: Community Growth Partners (nonprofits and chambers referring local businesses, with 3 months free transaction fees), Affiliate & Referral Partners (consultants, marketers, and influencers earning up to 30% commission per transaction), and Integrated Payment Partners (SaaS/fintech platforms embedding BuildUp via API with up to 20% revenue share).

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% reduction in card processing fees for businesses
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Plaid Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationBuildUp uses Plaid Inc. to securely gather user financial data from banks and financial institutions. Users grant BuildUp and Plaid the right to access and transmit personal and financial information from their financial institutions. Plaid handles the secure connection to bank accounts for the roundup and community pool lending features.
• WeFundercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBuildUp conducts investment fundraising through WeFunder's Regulation Crowdfunding platform. The platform is testing the waters to understand investor interest in the offering. WeFunder provides the infrastructure for accredited and non-accredited investors to participate in BuildUp's community investment opportunity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Block (Square): Block's Square product is the dominant mobile-first POS and payment processing platform for SMBs, offering tap-to-pay on phones, reduced processing fees, and integrated small business lending (Square Capital) — directly overlapping BuildUp's POS + lending + rewards stack.
• Toast: Toast provides integrated POS and payments infrastructure for restaurants and SMBs with bundled hardware/software/services, addressing the same fee-reduction and capital-access pain points BuildUp targets in the local retail/services vertical.
• SumUp: SumUp offers mobile card readers and POS solutions targeting micro-merchants and small businesses globally, competing directly with BuildUp's tap-to-pay, no-new-hardware positioning.
• Helcim: Helcim is a payment processor that markets lower processing fees and transparent pricing to SMBs — a direct value-proposition competitor to BuildUp's "up to 50% card fee reduction" claim.
• PayPal Zettle: PayPal's Zettle offers mobile POS and tap-to-pay for small merchants, backed by PayPal's brand, scale, and integrated payments/lending ecosystem — competing for the same SMB customer.

Broad incumbents

• Stripe Terminal: Stripe Terminal provides developer-friendly POS hardware and software for integrated payments, primarily serving platforms and larger SMBs. A broader incumbent in the POS/payments infrastructure space where BuildUp competes.
• Clover (Fiserv): Clover, owned by Fiserv, is a major POS and business management platform for SMBs with an app marketplace, processing, and lending adjacent services — a broader incumbent in SMB payments infrastructure.
• Lightspeed Commerce: Lightspeed offers cloud-based POS and commerce solutions for retail and restaurant SMBs, with payments, inventory, and e-commerce — overlapping BuildUp's in-store retail and services merchant segment.
• Shopify POS: Shopify POS extends Shopify's commerce platform into physical retail with integrated payments, hardware, and loyalty features — competing for the same local retail SMB segment as BuildUp with deeper e-commerce integration.

Emerging players

• Kiva: Kiva is a non-profit crowdfunding platform that lets individuals lend small amounts to small businesses and entrepreneurs globally. It is comparable to BuildUp's community pool lending model in spirit (community-funded SMB capital) though operates as a nonprofit rather than for-profit fintech.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buildup-app
• Xx.com/BuildUp_App
• Facebookfacebook.com/BuildUpApp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 BuildUp