Astra Business Solutions

What Astra Business Solutions does

Astra Business Solutions is a privately held receivables financing and management company headquartered in Ellinwood, Kansas, founded in May 2005 as National Billing, LLC by First National Bank of Hays, Kansas and Mel Waite. Since January 2013 the company has been majority-owned by Astra Bank, and on January 1, 2022 it rebranded to its current name while preserving its operating model and customer contracts. The company serves small business merchants in eight Midwestern states who extend credit to their customers, spanning verticals such as auto repair, agriculture, trades and contractors, medical and professional services, and wholesale distribution.

The core offering combines receivables financing with full-service accounts receivable management. Merchants submit job tickets or invoices by fax or electronic means, and the company pays the merchant within 2 to 3 business days after deducting a service fee and a small reserve. The company then mails professional branded statements monthly, conducts professional courtesy call follow-ups in accordance with merchant-documented policies, and delivers monthly accounts receivable aging reports. The product is delivered as a single integrated service rather than as a modular product suite, with no API, mobile app, or disclosed technology stack beyond a Wix-hosted website and a third-party payment form. Operational workflows are largely manual and relationship-driven, with named account managers handling onboarding and ongoing service.

Astra generates revenue primarily through per-transaction processing fees on merchant receivables, supplemented by reserve fund mechanics. Pricing is quote-based and customized per merchant based on financial and credit review, billed on a pay-as-you-go basis with no minimum volume or long-term commitment. Distribution is sales-led: direct phone outreach to SMB owners and a website quote request form drive lead capture, with educational blog content on cash-flow topics supporting top-of-funnel demand. The company is a majority-owned subsidiary of Astra Bank, which provides balance-sheet capital for the receivables portfolio and an embedded distribution channel through community-bank relationships across the Midwest.

Name

Astra Business Solutions

Legal name

National Billing, LLC

Website

https://astrabusiness.solutions

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Astra Business Solutions is a Kansas-based, bank-owned (Astra Bank) receivables financing and management firm that pays small business merchants within 2-3 business days for submitted invoices, handles billing and collections, and serves SMBs across eight Midwestern states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounts Receivable Financing

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Receivables Finance (Factoring, Invoice Discounting, Forfaiting) (FSABAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accounts Receivable (Invoicing, Cash Application, Deductions) (BPAAAGAB)

Keywords

• Accounts receivable financing
• Receivables management services
• Small business factoring
• Cash flow financing
• Invoice financing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellinwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Accounts Receivable Processing Fees: The company charges a processing fee on each transaction submitted by merchants. Fees are deducted from the customer's total along with a small reserve, and the remainder is deposited to the merchant's account. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Reserve Fund Management: A small reserve is deducted from each transaction and held. This reserve can be used by merchants to pay for insurance, truck tags, taxes, and other seasonal expenses. Interest or fees on reserves may contribute to revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Astra Business Solutions provides accounts receivable financing and full-service receivables management for small business owners. Merchants submit job tickets or invoices (via fax or electronic methods) and receive payment within 2-3 business days, after which Astra handles monthly statement mailing to customers, courtesy call follow-ups, and delivers monthly aging reports to the merchant.

Product overview

Astra Business Solutions provides a unified accounts receivable management and financing service for small business owners. The core offering combines receivables financing (paying merchants within 2–3 business days upon submission of job tickets or invoices) with full-service billing management (monthly statement mailing, professional follow-up courtesy calls, and accounts receivable reporting). No modular product architecture exists — the single service offering encompasses the complete receivables workflow from invoice submission through collection follow-up and monthly aging reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accounts Receivable Management and Financing Unified receivables financing and management service for small business owners. Merchants submit job tickets or invoices (fax or electronic); Astra pays the merchant within 2-3 business days after deducting a processing fee and small reserve. Astra then mails branded monthly statements to the merchant's customers, conducts professional courtesy call follow-ups following merchant-documented policies, and provides monthly accounts receivable aging reports.

Quantifiable outcome

• Payment within 2-3 business days instead of typical 45-60 day customer payment cycles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mel Waite, EllinwoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of National Billing, LLC (now Astra Business Solutions) alongside First National Bank in May 2005. Recognized that business owners needed financial services to help with cash flow issues common in businesses extending credit to customers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fundbox: SMB working-capital provider using receivables and invoice data for short-term advances. Competes for the same small-business cash-flow customer, with a fully digital, automated underwriting and funding experience.
• BlueVine: Fintech offering invoice factoring and lines of credit to SMBs. Direct competitor in receivables-based working capital, differentiated by online application, faster decisions, and broader product suite; pressures traditional operators like Astra.
• TAB Bank: Asset-based lender offering factoring, receivables financing, and lines of credit to SMBs. Directly comparable product suite, though TAB operates as a chartered bank with national reach and broader product breadth.
• Triumph Business Capital: Factoring and receivables-management provider focused on SMBs and transportation/logistics sectors. Comparable service mix of invoice purchasing plus back-office AR support.
• Riviera Finance: Traditional SMB factoring and accounts-receivable management company serving small businesses with invoice purchasing, statement mailing, and collection services—nearly identical operating model to Astra Business Solutions, but with broader national coverage.
• Paragon Financial Group: Invoice factoring and receivables-financing provider serving SMBs across multiple verticals, including construction and services. Closely mirrors Astra's niche SMB factoring positioning.
• Lightning Capital: Small-business factoring and invoice-discounting firm offering advances against receivables with no minimum volume requirements—structurally similar go-to-market approach to Astra's no-minimum model.
• altLine (by Southern Factor): Provides invoice factoring and receivables-based financing to SMBs, with both traditional and online onboarding. Comparable business model—purchasing receivables for working-capital relief—but operates nationally with a more digital funnel.

Broad incumbents

• Kapitus: Diversified SMB financing provider offering invoice factoring alongside term loans, equipment financing, and merchant cash advances. Broader product portfolio than Astra, but overlapping on the receivables-financing core.

Emerging players

• HighRadius: Enterprise AR automation platform (cash application, collections, deductions, electronic invoicing). Competes on the AR-management side of Astra's offering for mid-market customers, signaling where SMB-focused AR outsourcing may evolve.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Astra Business Solutions