Niva Emerges From Stealth With Backing From Gradient, Google’s AI Fund, to Tackle Global Business Verification
July 08 2024 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
Niva’s platform leverages AI agents to enable
its customers to effortlessly build trust in legitimate businesses
on a global scale.
Niva, a global business identity platform, officially launched
today, introducing an AI-powered solution designed to overcome the
significant challenges of establishing trust in businesses
internationally. With marquee customers and more than $3.3 million
in funding led by Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused venture
fund, along with participation from Picus Capital, Canary,
Gilgamesh Ventures, and key executives from Chime, Deel, Enigma,
and Faire, Niva is set to transform the complex landscape of global
commerce.
The rapid growth and digitization of cross-border transactions,
estimated at over $150 trillion in annualized payments in 2022, has
created growing complexities & risks, especially for companies
operating in multiple countries. Over 97% of cross-border
transactions are between businesses, and verifying business
identity—by screening for fraud and meeting local and international
KYB requirements—is a major point of friction. The current process
is almost entirely manual, flawed, and varies widely by country,
often requiring weeks of emailing back-and-forth between Niva’s
customers and the SMBs applying to use their products. The need for
a next-gen platform tailored for fast-growing companies operating
under these constraints has never been greater, and Niva is already
fulfilling this critical need today.
“Streamlining KYB has always been core to our
business,” said Sebastian Kreis, CEO and Founder of Xepelin, one of
the fastest growing B2B fintechs in Latin America. “In just a few
months, Niva’s AI has been able to accelerate our onboarding to the
next level. It’s clear that the team has deep experience in the
domain and we’re excited about the continued partnership.”
By leveraging Niva’s compliance and fraud AI agents, businesses
can reduce onboarding cycles from weeks to less than 10 minutes.
This innovation not only enhances application conversion rates by
providing a better onboarding experience, but also eliminates the
need for training ops teams in multiple languages, regional laws,
and fraud tactics.
“We’re thrilled to invest in Niva as they
leverage the recent innovations in large-language models to solve
one of the most complex problems out there - quality data on
businesses internationally,” said Darian Shirazi, General Partner
at Gradient. “Poor data stands in the way of offering credit and
financial opportunities to businesses large and small. I can’t wait
to see the transformative impact this platform has on the industry
and the world.”
Niva is already making strides, serving early adopters that
include fast-growing international fintechs like Xepelin,
cross-border marketplaces such as Prima, and other high-growth
startups including Aplazo, one of Mexico’s largest buy now, pay
later platforms.
Prior to founding Niva, Co-founder and CEO Abhinav Rai was a
General Manager at Enigma, one of the leading vendors of SMB data
in the U.S., where he most recently led the launch of Enigma’s KYB
product. “In my last role, countless customers asked us for a
product that could also support them in other countries &
markets,” said Rai. “I’m an immigrant and I’ve seen first-hand how
trust is an even bigger problem outside the United States,
especially in emerging markets.” Akhil Naini, Niva’s co-founder and
CTO, brings nearly a decade of invaluable experience in onboarding
businesses and individuals as an engineering leader at Gusto,
Coinbase, and most recently Chime.
About Niva:
Niva is a global business identity platform, founded by industry
experts Abhinav Rai and Akhil Naini, used to build trust in
businesses across the globe. To learn more, visit www.niva.co.
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