USDC Privacy Pioneer Payy Secures $6M to Scale Private Stablecoin Payments Platform
Payy has raised $6 million in a seed funding round led by FirstMark Capital, with participation from Robot Ventures and DBA Crypto. The funding, closed in December via a SAFE agreement with token warrants, brings the company's total capital raised to $8 million. Payy's valuation remains undisclosed.
The firm specializes in private stablecoin payments using zero-knowledge proofs to shield transaction data on public blockchains. CEO Sid Gandhi emphasizes privacy as a critical adoption barrier, noting that enterprises often avoid blockchain payments due to transparency concerns. Payy's solution includes a wallet and Visa card for global USDC transactions, currently serving 100,000 users across 120 countries.
Originally launched as Polybase, a web3 database project, the company pivoted in 2023 to focus on stablecoin infrastructure. Its upcoming Layer 2 network is slated for testnet launch next month, signaling expansion beyond its current payment tools.