Aikido x Mollie: Securing global growth from startup to unicorn
SaaS
Partner:Agency
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Scaling a SaaS company to a $25 million ARR unicorn in just three years usually requires a massive finance department. Aikido did it with a remarkably lean team by making its payment infrastructure completely invisible.
From their early days benefiting from the Mollie Startup Program to their recent massive success, seamless payments have helped Aikido focus on what matters most: building a world-class product.
About Aikido
Based in Ghent, Belgium, Aikido is a cybersecurity software platform built specifically for developers. They make it easy for software teams to scan their code and cloud repositories for vulnerabilities.
Since launching, Aikido has experienced explosive hyper-growth. They have built a team of 230 people, reached nearly $25 million in ARR, and recently achieved unicorn status. This makes them one of the fastest cybersecurity companies to reach unicorn status globally within just three years.
They sell to customers all over the world – partnering with innovative companies like Visma, n8n, Soundcloud, Premier League, NianticGo, and Autonomous – from the US and the UK to New Zealand and Japan, proving that a great product knows no borders.
The challenge
When you are building a fast-growing SaaS company, every euro and every minute counts. Startups need to secure early customers and get cash flowing quickly to survive and scale. But high transaction fees and clunky, unreliable payment setups can easily drain valuable resources.
Aikido needed a payment partner that could handle global transactions flawlessly from day one. They wanted to sell to developers worldwide without worrying about complex payment processing, failed checkouts, or time-consuming admin work. They needed a solution that would just work, freeing up their team to invest their energy into perfecting their cybersecurity software and driving sales.
"The goal is to connect a payment gateway and let it autonomously manage global credit card processing without introducing friction. You never want a scenario where a user is ready to subscribe, but a failed transaction disrupts the checkout and causes them to abandon the platform entirely." – Dries Cornelis, Head of Finance, Aikido
The solution
Aikido partnered with Mollie right from the start. By joining the Mollie Startup Program, Aikido unlocked €1 million in free payment volume. This early advantage meant they didn’t have to pay significant fees on their initial revenue, allowing them to reinvest that saved capital directly back into their core product and sales team.
“Unlocking that early capital is a game-changer. It allows you to bypass transaction fees and invest directly into the product and sales. For an early-stage company, that advantage is huge.” – Dries Cornelis, Head of Finance, Aikido
Mollie provided Aikido with a reliable, easy-to-use payment solution that handles both Credit Card and SEPA Direct Debit transactions. And because Mollie integrates seamlessly with Chargebee, Aikido’s billing software, the entire payment flow is fully automated.
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The results
Partnering with Mollie has given Aikido the solid payment foundation they need to scale globally. Here is how:
Crucial early-stage savings:
The €1 million free volume from the Startup Program saved Aikido crucial capital when they needed it most. But Mollie delivered more than just savings, we completely removed the complexity of cross-border payments. This made it effortless for Aikido to open up new EU markets fast.
Instead of worrying about local payment methods or transaction costs, the team could focus 100% on delivering their core value proposition: building a world-class cybersecurity platform for developers.
A flawless billing integration:
Mollie’s seamless connection with Chargebee means Aikido’s finance team never has to worry about manual syncing. Whether processing a new global subscription or issuing a quick refund, everything happens automatically between the two systems.
“The integration with Chargebee is flawless. You want your payment infrastructure to run silently in the background without needing constant attention, and that is exactly what Mollie delivers.” – Dries Cornelis, Head of Finance, Aikido Security
World-class support:
Fast growth requires fast answers. “I’m really happy with the support we are getting from the team,” says Dries. “Whenever I send an email, I get a reply within the hour most of the time.”
With Mollie’s premium support, the Aikido team gets helpful, human replies to their questions within hours, ensuring their payment flow never misses a beat.
Resolving issues in hours to prevent churn:
Fast resolution times prevent customer drop-off during the checkout phase, which is critical for a SaaS business relying on self-serve credit card subscriptions.
Global reach, local simplicity:
Even though Aikido bills all its customers in Belgium, Mollie’s robust credit card network enables it to effortlessly accept payments from customers worldwide.
“You want your payment infrastructure to run silently in the background without needing constant attention, and that is exactly what Mollie delivers.”
Dries Cornelis, Head of Finance, Aikido Security
Looking forward to the future
Aikido is growing fast, and they have no plans of slowing down. As they look to multiply their revenue in the coming years, they know a scalable payment infrastructure is critical.
“We’re in full growth mode.. With Mollie’s infrastructure running this smoothly in the background, we have the exact foundation we need to scale our operations worldwide.” – Dries Cornelis, Head of Finance, Aikido
By keeping transaction failures low and support quality high, Mollie will continue to help Aikido scale without the need to dramatically expand its finance and support teams. It is a true growth partnership, built to take Aikido from its first few customers all the way to unicorn status and beyond.
Ready to scale your business? Discover how the Mollie Startup Program can help you grow with up to €1 million in free payment volume, just like Aikido.