Defacto

Defacto is a Paris-based financial technology company that provides an API-first B2B lending platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Founded in June 2021 by Jordane Giuly, Morgan O'hana, and Marc-Henri Gires, the company aims to provide instant and flexible financing to a segment often underserved by traditional banks. Giuly is a co-founder of the spend management unicorn Spendesk, where O'hana also led strategic partnerships before co-founding Defacto. Gires brings over a decade of experience as a full-stack engineer and data scientist.

The company's core offering is a "Capital by API, not paperwork" solution. This allows third parties, such as B2B marketplaces, fintech platforms, and e-commerce sites, to embed Defacto's financing options directly into their own products. This B2B2B model enables partners like Qonto, Malt, and Pennylane to offer their customers seamless access to credit without becoming lending institutions themselves. Defacto's technology leverages AI and real-time data from banking, accounting, and ERP systems to automate credit scoring and underwriting decisions, enabling quote-to-capital times of less than 30 seconds.

Defacto's business model addresses the working capital needs of SMEs by allowing them to finance invoices and manage cash flow more effectively. The company offers several solutions, including "Direct" for self-serve digital lending, "Connect" for a white-labeled embedded API, and "Core," a Lending-as-a-Service (LaaS) infrastructure for financial institutions. This allows businesses to finance accounts payable and receivable, purchase stock, and negotiate early payment discounts with suppliers. Defacto has been licensed by the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) and has financed over 17,000 businesses across several European countries, including France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

The company has secured significant funding to support its growth. In 2021, Defacto raised €3 million in a seed round. This was followed by a €15 million Series A round in June 2022, led by Northzone, with participation from existing investors Headline and Global Founders Capital. The company has also raised substantial debt financing to increase its lending capacity, including up to €167 million from Citi and Viola Credit in July 2023 and a €16 million Series B in September 2025. By early 2026, Defacto had financed over €1 billion for businesses and was aiming to increase its annual financing capacity significantly.

Keywords: B2B lending, embedded finance, API-first, SME financing, working capital, invoice financing, credit infrastructure, financial technology, fintech, short-term loans, automated underwriting, credit scoring, Lending-as-a-Service, LaaS, accounts payable financing, accounts receivable financing, business loans, corporate credit, debt financing, Northzone, Citi Ventures