AstraPitch

PayBridge is a cross-border payment platform that helps small and medium-sized businesses send and receive international payments at lower costs and faster settlement times than traditional banking channels and even newer fintech competitors. We have built a multi-currency wallet infrastructure that settles transactions in real-time using a combination of local payment rails, nostro account optimization, and stablecoin bridging for difficult currency corridors. The problem we are solving is straightforward: SMBs lose an estimated $120B annually in excessive wire fees, unfavorable FX spreads, and delayed settlements that create cash flow friction. A typical US-based SMB importing goods from China pays 3-5% in total transaction costs through traditional banks, waits 3-5 business days for settlement, and faces opaque pricing with hidden markups embedded in the exchange rate. The existing alternatives — PayPal, Wise, and Remitly — have improved consumer experience but their SMB offerings still charge 0.8-1.2% with settlement times of 1-2 days and limited coverage in emerging markets. Our platform currently supports 62 currency pairs across 38 countries, covering the most common SMB trade corridors: US-China, US-EU, US-Mexico, and US-India. We have developed proprietary liquidity routing algorithms that dynamically select the cheapest settlement path for each transaction, resulting in average total costs of 0.45% for US-EU corridors and 0.65% for US-China corridors — roughly half the cost of our closest competitors. Settlement times average 4 hours for major corridors and under 24 hours for all supported pairs. We launched our beta 8 months ago and have onboarded 340 active business users, primarily through outbound sales to e-commerce importers and export-oriented manufacturers. We are processing approximately $50K in monthly transaction volume, which has grown at 18% month-over-month for the last four months. Our revenue model charges 0.8% per transaction on the sending side, generating roughly $400 in monthly revenue. We also earn float income on settlement balances, which adds approximately 10% to revenue. Customer acquisition cost is approximately $180 per user, primarily through LinkedIn ads, trade show presence, and partnerships with trade finance platforms. The cross-border payments market is massive. According to McKinsey, global cross-border payment flows exceeded $150T in 2025, with B2B payments representing approximately $120T of that. The SMB segment is estimated at $3-5T annually, growing at 12% CAGR as e-commerce export volumes increase and supply chains continue to globalize. However, we have not yet conducted a rigorous bottom-up market sizing analysis specific to our target segments. We are a team of five based in Toronto. We have a shared background in financial services and technology, though we have not highlighted specific past achievements or exits in our pitch. Our technical infrastructure is built on AWS using a microservices architecture, with the core wallet and routing engine written in Rust for performance. We are seeking funding to build out our compliance infrastructure, hire a head of regulatory affairs, obtain money transmitter licenses in key US states, and expand our sales team to target the US market more aggressively. We are also exploring partnerships with neobanks and accounting platforms as distribution channels.

GreenCart is an eco-friendly grocery delivery service operating in the Portland metropolitan area that delivers organic and locally-sourced food using electric bikes. We want to make sustainable food accessible to everyone while reducing the carbon footprint of last-mile grocery delivery. We started the company about a year ago because we saw that existing grocery delivery services use gas-powered vehicles and source from large industrial distributors. We thought there should be a better way that's better for the planet. Our app lets people order fresh produce, dairy, bread, and pantry staples directly from local farms and artisanal producers within a 15-mile radius of downtown Portland, and we deliver everything within a 2-hour time window using our fleet of electric cargo bikes. Right now we have some customers who order regularly, mainly in the Pearl District and surrounding neighborhoods. We think people care deeply about the environment and are willing to pay a premium for delivery that aligns with their values. Our research suggests that Portland residents are particularly conscious about sustainability compared to other cities, which is why we started here. We have a small but loyal customer base that seems to appreciate what we are building. Our team consists of four people: our two founders handle operations and technology, and we have two part-time delivery riders who use our electric bikes. We are all passionate about sustainability and believe in the mission of making food systems more local and less dependent on fossil fuels. We do not have prior startup experience, but we learn fast and are deeply committed to making this work. The grocery delivery market is large and growing, especially since the pandemic shifted more people to ordering online. We believe there is room for a premium eco-friendly option in this space, and our early traction in Portland validates that there is demand for this kind of service. Our biggest challenges right now are limited delivery range (our bikes can only travel about 20 miles round-trip), sourcing enough local supply during winter months, and the higher cost of organic/local products compared to conventional groceries. We are looking for funding to expand to more neighborhoods in Portland, purchase additional electric cargo bikes, build out our cold storage infrastructure, and eventually expand to other cities like Seattle and San Francisco that have similar demographics and values. We also want to invest in marketing to grow our customer base beyond the early adopters we have today. We have not yet built detailed financial projections but believe the business can be profitable once we reach scale.