Klearly, an Amsterdam-based payments company built specifically for restaurants, bars, and clubs, has raised €12 million in a Series A funding round. The investment brings the company’s total capital raised to €20 million.
The round was led by PayPal Ventures, with participation from Italian Founders Fund, Global PayTech Ventures, Antler Elevate, and Shapers.
Addressing the limits of generic payment systems in hospitality
While digital payments are now standard across retail, much of the hospitality sector continues to rely on legacy payment infrastructure that struggles during peak service hours. High transaction volumes, speed requirements, and operational complexity place unique demands on restaurants and nightlife venues that generic payment providers often fail to meet.
Klearly focuses exclusively on hospitality, offering a payments layer designed to perform reliably in high-traffic environments. The platform is built to minimise transaction delays, reduce downtime, and support smoother guest experiences during busy service periods.
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Built to work with existing POS infrastructure
A key differentiator for Klearly is its ability to integrate seamlessly with existing point-of-sale systems. Restaurants can deploy Klearly as a standalone solution using current hardware, avoiding costly equipment replacements or operational disruption.
For operators seeking deeper integration, the company also provides a payments layer that connects directly with leading POS providers. This setup enables faster transaction processing and improved reliability without forcing merchants into a full system migration.
According to Sam Koekoek, the company’s focus is on complementing, rather than replacing, existing hospitality technology stacks.
Klearly is not a one-size-fits-all payment provider. We’ve built a hospitality-first payments layer that supports leading restaurant operators and works alongside the POS systems they already trust.
Strong traction in the Netherlands and expansion into new markets
Klearly has already achieved significant adoption in its home market, with thousands of hospitality businesses across the Netherlands using its platform. Building on this momentum, the company is now expanding into Italy and Belgium, working closely with restaurant groups and POS partners to support local market needs.
The company sees Southern and Western Europe as key growth regions, where fragmented payment infrastructure and high hospitality density create strong demand for specialised solutions.
Fueling growth, partnerships, and product development
The newly raised capital will be used to accelerate Klearly’s expansion in Italy, strengthen local go-to-market teams, and grow its partner ecosystem. Additional investment will go into product development, deeper POS integrations, and scaling teams across engineering, operations, partnerships, and commercial functions.
Klearly’s long-term ambition is to become a core payments layer for hospitality businesses across Europe, supporting faster transactions, higher revenue per guest, and improved operational resilience.
About Klearly
Founded in 2022, Klearly is a European payments company focused on simplifying payment acceptance for hospitality and small-to-medium businesses. Its platform turns smartphones and tablets into secure payment devices and delivers a flexible, POS-compatible payments layer designed for speed, reliability, and high-volume environments across Europe.
