Summary
Calgary-based payments company Helcim has secured $53 million in Series C financing to expand its platform, grow its team, and move further up-market serving mid-sized businesses across North America. The round was led by BDC Capital's Growth Venture Fund, with new investors Curql Collective (a fund backed by 160+ North American credit unions) and Gold House Ventures, alongside existing backers. The raise values Helcim at $250 million (up from $97M after its 2024 Series B) and brings total equity to $100M since the 2022 Series A.
Key Facts
- $53M Series C led by BDC Capital's Growth Venture Fund; Curql Collective and Gold House Ventures joined
- Values Helcim at $250M (up from $97M after 2024 Series B)
- Total equity since 2022 Series A: $100M
- Helcim surpassed $150M annual recurring revenue; on track to process ~$10B payments annually
- ~200 employees; 22,000+ active businesses in Canada and US
- Volume-based interchange-plus pricing — an alternative to flat-rate fees
- Built its own end-to-end payments infrastructure (launched current platform 2020, roots 2006)
- January: launched AI-powered Payment Extension (self-integration tool); adoption growing quickly
- Strategy: expand into more financial services for merchants; partner with regional banks and credit unions seeking alternatives
- Curql Collective's participation could accelerate credit-union sector strategy (160+ credit unions)
- Founder/CEO Nic Beique: "merchants are coming to Helcim faster than ever, looking for a modern alternative"
- Opportunity from major Canadian banks selling/outsourcing merchant-services operations
Why It Matters
Helcim's Series C shows the independent, interchange-plus payments model gaining traction in North America as banks and credit unions rethink merchant services and SMBs seek transparent alternatives to flat-rate processors. The credit-union angle (Curql) points to a growing strategy of fintechs white-labeling or partnering with regional institutions to compete with the big card networks and incumbent processors. It also marks another strong funding round for Calgary's fast-growing tech ecosystem.