UK fintech Kord has raised £6.4 million in Series A funding to expand its platform for identity verification, onboarding, compliance, and payments in regulated industries. The round was led by Guinness Ventures, with participation from the ProVen VCTs, SFC Capital, and angel investors, bringing the company’s total funding to £9 million. Kord said the investment will support team growth, product development, and new customer acquisition as it targets sectors where high-value transactions remain slowed by fragmented legacy systems.
Funding and Investors
The new capital follows a period of rapid commercial growth for Kord, which has positioned itself as infrastructure for businesses handling sensitive client checks and payments. Tech Funding News reported that the company’s revenue rose from £600,000 to nearly £4 million in one year, while the platform now serves more than 100 paying customers. The investor group is backing Kord’s push to become a core operating layer for firms that need to verify clients, remain compliant, and move money securely.
Platform and Market Need
Kord addresses a persistent challenge in regulated industries, where onboarding, anti-money laundering checks, document signing, and payments are often handled through separate tools. This fragmentation can create delays, increase operational costs, and expose businesses to fraud risks, especially as AI-generated documents and deepfakes become more sophisticated. The company says its platform replaces that patchwork with a unified digital workflow designed to accelerate transactions while reducing risk.
Product and Compliance
The platform is used by estate agents, letting agents, law firms, conveyancers, and financial services companies that need to manage client identity and funds securely. Kord combines identity verification, AML and compliance checks, onboarding, document signing, payment processing, secure digital wallets, and dedicated bank accounts for regulated entities. The company is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and says its API-driven infrastructure is designed to integrate easily into client operations.
Growth and Use of Proceeds
Kord plans to use the Series A funding to increase market adoption and continue strengthening its technology stack. According to Tech Funding News, the company intends to allocate about 60% of the new funding to sales and marketing, 20% to technology development, and the remainder to senior hires. The planned appointments include a chief financial officer and a chief marketing officer, reflecting the company’s shift from early growth toward broader commercial scale.
Leadership and Positioning
Kord was founded by James Owusu, who previously spent years working on client onboarding for banking customers while also building a property portfolio. That experience helped shape the company’s focus on reducing friction for both businesses and end customers involved in high-value transactions. Following a recent rebrand of its B2B operations to Kord, the company will continue using the Checkboard name for its consumer-facing app.
The funding gives Kord additional capital to expand in markets where trust, compliance, and secure payments are becoming increasingly connected. Its central bet is that regulated firms will prefer one platform for identity checks, transaction management, and client money handling instead of relying on disconnected systems. If the company can sustain its growth and defend its early position, Kord could become a more prominent infrastructure provider for regulated transactions in the UK and beyond.