Highnote (platform)

Highnote Platform, Inc. is an American financial technology company that develops cloud-based payments infrastructure for card issuing, embedded finance, and payment acquiring. The company is based in San Francisco, California.

History

Highnote was founded in 2020 in San Francisco by John MacIlwaine and Kin Kee, both former executives at Braintree. The company emerged from stealth in 2021 with $54 million in combined seed and Series A funding from investors including Oak HC/FT, Costanoa Ventures, WestCap, XYZ Venture Capital, and SVB Capital.

In 2023, Highnote expanded its payments platform to support consumer credit card programs, adding credit-related capabilities such as underwriting, repayment, and loan servicing tools. In 2024, Forbes included Highnote on its annual Fintech 50 list. A year later, in January 2025, Highnote raised $90 million in Series B funding led by Adams Street Partners and launched a merchant acquiring product, bringing its total disclosed funding to AbOUT $145 million.

In 2025 and 2026, Highnote appeared on the Forbes Fintech 50 list.

Platform

Highnote's platform is designed for businesses that issue cards, move funds, and embed payment capabilities into their products. It initially focused on card issuing and program management, and later expanded into payment acquiring, consumer credit, and broader money movement tools.

The platform is a unified, API-driven system that combines card issuing, ledgering, credit features, and acquiring functions for enterprise customers and business-to-business platforms. Its offerings have been used in products such as small-business credit cards, payroll cards, and fleet payment programs.