Most businesses don’t fail because the work dries up; they fail because the cash arrives late. That gap between issuing an invoice and getting paid is still treated as ‘just how B2B works’, even when the transaction itself is happening inside modern platforms and software.
In this week’s Behind the Idea, Tom Lamb, head of UK at Aria, explains how Aria embeds invoice financing into marketplaces, ERP systems and SaaS platforms, letting suppliers get paid within 24 hours while buyers keep their usual terms.
Tell us more about your company and its offering
Aria provides embedded invoice financing infrastructure for B2B marketplaces, ERP systems, and SaaS platforms across Europe. We enable suppliers to get paid within 24 hours, whilst buyers get flexible payment terms, all through API integrations.
Unlike traditional lending, we purchase invoices rather than creating debt on balance sheets. And unlike plug-and-play solutions, our API enables customised implementations for different B2B use cases. We handle the complete payment workflow, everything from credit scoring and insurance to collections and payment processing, in one platform.
We work with platforms ranging from temp agencies to energy tech companies, and from freelance marketplaces to on-demand staffing. Our clients include Job&Talent, UrbanChain, Malt and StaffMe.
What problem was your company set up to solve?
Our co-founders, Clément Carrier (CEO) and Vincent Folny (COO), were freelancers in data science and corporate finance who experienced the cash flow problems created by late payments firsthand.
They quickly realised this wasn’t just a freelancer problem, but that it was happening on an international scale. At the same time, they observed a fundamental shift occurring in B2B payments that traditional financial systems weren’t equipped to handle.
The latest government figures suggest over 1.5 million UK businesses are affected by payment delays, costing the UK economy as much as £11billion per year and closing 38 UK companies every day.
Across Europe, €3.1trillion sits in unpaid invoices. Payment times vary wildly: Dutch companies settle invoices in just three days, German firms in under seven, UK companies in 13, and French companies in 14 days on average. Some sectors are worse: real estate agencies take 29 days and e-commerce 27 days, according to Altares’ European Payment Behaviour Study published this year.
Small businesses and freelancers shouldn’t have to wait 60 or 90 days to get paid for work they’ve already done.
The embedded finance model made sense. Rather than building another direct-to-supplier solution, they embedded invoice financing where suppliers were already working: inside the platforms and systems they use daily.
Aria bridges the gap between suppliers who want prompt payment and buyers who need flexible payment terms.
Since launch, how has your company evolved?
We expanded beyond our initial focus on freelance platforms. Today, we work with FTSE 100 companies, financing payments in Sterling, Euros, USD and CHF across multiple industries. For example, we work with UK temp agency Job&Talent, UK-based energy tech company UrbanChain, and fashion industry booking platform Ubooker.
We’ve also expanded our geographic scope. The UK has become our fastest-growing market, now representing 40 per cent of our global revenue. We’ve processed over £150 million in UK invoice financing alone, with annual volume growing from £1.5million to £50million between 2023 and 2024. We expect to reach £100million this year.
We’ve processed over €1billion in invoice financing since 2019 and achieved over 300 per cent revenue growth last year. We were named among Europe’s fastest growing startups for the second year in a row (Sifted 250) in October.
What has been the biggest challenge or most ‘tricky moment’ to overcome?
Scaling across different European markets whilst maintaining our low default rate, which sits below 0.1 per cent. This required navigating varied legal and regulatory frameworks.
Underwriting is relatively straightforward: we need to know who will pay, if they’re willing to pay, and if they’re financially sound. That holds true across markets. But the legal framework differs in each country. Setting up new financing structures, operating within different regulatory environments, and simplifying that complexity for customers, especially pan-European ones, took significant effort.
Beyond the legal considerations, sales approaches vary significantly. France is a legacy market with high trust in traditional banks, so breaking through requires a different approach. The UK has been a fintech innovation hub for the past few years, which means a greater emphasis on direct sales work rather than referrals. Adapting to those differences whilst growing quickly was challenging.
What are your biggest achievements or ‘proudest moment’ so far?
This summer, we achieved a company milestone of €1billion in invoices processed since our launch five years ago. That’s more than 350,000 invoices, helping over 100,000 suppliers get paid faster across Europe, maintaining a default rate below 0.1 per cent, and reducing payment delays by an average of 42 days. These aren’t just flashy metrics but represent a tangible impact we’ve had on businesses across Europe, helping them get paid on time.
More personally, it’s been validating and rewarding to see the UK become our fastest-growing market and scaling the team to support over £150million in lending and become a significant revenue centre.
The growth figures and rankings are validating, but the ability to process invoices from £500 to £20,000 across multiple industries whilst maintaining that default rate shows we’ve built something that works reliably for different types of businesses.
How would you describe the culture of your company?
We’re distributed across Europe, which means we’ve had to be intentional about communication and trust. There’s also a pragmatic approach to problem-solving. We’re focused on what actually works rather than what sounds impressive.
But there’s also an adventurous side to the business. Clément is an avid trail runner who frequently organises group runs in the mountains of Southern France. The team includes people who actively skydive, ski, and generally lean towards adventure. That combination, rigorous problem-solving with a willingness to take calculated risks, shapes how we operate.
What’s in store for the future?
McKinsey projects that embedded finance will account for €100billion in value by 2030. We’re building the infrastructure to support that shift.
In the UK specifically, there’s momentum around addressing late payments. The UK government’s recent July announcement of the Small Business Plan to support SMEs across the country shows there’s recognition of the problem at a policy level. We’ll continue focusing on the UK market whilst expanding our capabilities across Europe.
We’re also seeing more interest from larger enterprises and ERPs who want to embed financing into their systems. That’s a natural evolution: once platforms prove the model works, enterprise systems follow. We’re well-positioned for both.