Willa is a creator-economy fintech that gives freelance creators an easier way to get paid instantly via an iOS app launched in late 2020. The product replaces traditional invoicing by automating vendor forms and compliance, letting freelancers receive funds in under 30 seconds while clients can pay later on 30/60/90-day terms. Willa charges a 2.9% transaction fee per payment request. The company reports it is processing millions of dollars in early payouts, that growth has doubled each quarter, and that its invite-only beta has a waitlist of 150,000+ U.S. freelancers after surging on the App Store. Planned product expansions include a debit card and additional financial-wellness services slated for later in 2021. The team is remote-first, was founded in 2019 with several early Spotify team members, and plans to hire 40–50 people. Willa offers a payments product, Willa Pay, that streamlines invoicing by entering job details in an app which then issues required paperwork to the hiring corporation. The app also lets freelancers receive payments earlier than corporate terms—Willa will pay the freelancer directly for a small fee. The company says the product removes paperwork and re-engineers the payment process with the freelance economy in mind. Willa plans to launch Willa Pay with an initial distribution push targeting the product’s first 10,000 users, specifically influencers averaging 100,000+ followers. The founders are former early members of Spotify’s growth team and creators of the influencer marketing platform Relatable. Willa positions itself as addressing widespread payment problems: the CEO says at least half of freelancers experience payment issues and a third of payments are late.

Total raised

$21M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Jul 2021