luca originally gained wide adoption in Germany as a QR-code–based Covid contact-tracing app used by public health departments. Facing declining government contracts (about €21.3 million) as cases fell, the company repurposed its QR-code technology and partner relationships to launch luca pay, a payments and full-service hospitality platform. The company launched luca pay in June and reported roughly 2,000 locations onboard within weeks, with an addressable partner base the company says approaches 450,000 restaurants and shops. luca has emphasized data protection: it designed its system for anonymity, collaborated with Prof. Dr. Marian Margraf, employed a three-key failsafe, and earlier this year deleted some 41 million anonymised datapoints. CEO Patrick Hennig positions luca pay as a way to cut intermediaries, streamline ordering-to-payment workflows, and help merchants reduce costs and staffing burdens. The company plans to expand luca pay across Europe in the coming months, beginning with the UK, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Portugal.

Total raised

$30M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Jul 2022