Mercury
Mercury helps startups avoid legacy bank friction with modern, zero-fee business banking.
Mercury is a modern online banking platform purpose-built for startups and technology-focused businesses. It eliminates friction in business banking by offering zero-fee checking and savings accounts, corporate cards, invoicing, bill pay, and spend management—all with a modern interface designed for founders. Unlike legacy banks that flag startup activity as suspicious, Mercury understands the funding and cash flow patterns of early-stage companies. The platform aggregates financial data across all accounts to provide real-time insights into company financial health.
Problem solved
Startup founders using personal-use bank accounts face account blocks and friction when receiving funding transfers, lack financial visibility, and deal with outdated banking infrastructure not designed for startup cash flows.
Target customer
Early-stage to growth-stage startups and technology-focused companies, particularly Series A-C companies that have recently raised funding and need modern financial infrastructure.
Founders
I
Immad Akhund
CEO & Co-founder
Multi-time founder with 300+ angel investments; previously CEO of Heyzap (mobile developer tools, sold for $45M in 2016); studied Computer Science at Cambridge University.
J
Jason Zhang
COO & Co-founder
Former VP of Business Development at Heyzap; driving force behind Mercury's product vision, design, development, and company culture.
M
Max Tagher
CTO & Co-founder
Former Heyzap colleague who partnered with Immad Akhund to build Mercury's banking platform.
Funding history
Seed & Early Stage
Unknown
2017-2019
Led by Unknown
· Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue, CRV
Series B
$120M
July 2021
Led by Unknown
· Sapphire Ventures
Series C
$300M
March 2025
Led by Sequoia Capital
· Coatue, CRV, Andreessen Horowitz, Spark Capital, Marathon
Total raised:
$500M
Pricing
Free tier with no account minimums, overdraft fees, or monthly fees. Paid plans start at $35/month for advanced features (additional invoicing, NetSuite automations, reimbursement tools for 5+ users). Mercury Personal subscription is $240/year. Mercury Treasury available for balances over $250K. Revenue through interest on deposits, foreign exchange fees, and Mercury Treasury/Venture Debt products.
Integrations
NetSuite (automations mentioned), accounting automations, invoice and bill pay integrations, Treasury integration
Tech stack
React (JavaScript frameworks)
core-js (JavaScript libraries)
Intercom (Live chat)
Linkedin Insight Tag (Analytics)
Cloudflare Bot Management (Security)
Font Awesome (Font scripts)
Google Workspace (Email)
Cloudflare (CDN)
Twitter Ads (Advertising)
Heroku (PaaS)
Website
Competitors
Silicon Valley Bank
Traditional bank with manual account review processes and account blocks on startup funding activity; Mercury offers instant online approval without manual intervention.
Stripe Financial Connections
Broader financial infrastructure platform; Mercury is specialized banking built exclusively for startup financial management.
Brex
Focused heavily on corporate credit cards and lending; Mercury emphasizes core banking accounts with integrated spend management and financial intelligence.
Why this matters: Mercury represents a fundamental rethinking of business banking for startups, raising $500M at a $3.5B valuation with backing from top-tier investors like Sequoia. The company has successfully identified a massive pain point—legacy banks treating startup funding activity as fraud—and built infrastructure that understands founder workflows, making it a critical piece of the startup financial stack.
Best for: Early-stage startups (pre-Series A through Series C) that need modern banking with fast onboarding, zero fees, real-time financial visibility, and infrastructure designed specifically for founder workflows and funding cycles.
Use cases
Instant Account Onboarding for Funded Startups
Founders who just closed a Series A round can open a Mercury account within hours without manual review, receive funding transfers without account blocks, and immediately access spending controls and financial dashboards. This eliminates the 1-2 week delays and frustration of traditional bank onboarding.
Real-Time Cash Flow Visibility
CFOs and founders use Mercury's aggregated financial dashboard to see spending patterns, invoice status, and cash runway in real-time rather than waiting for monthly bank statements. This enables faster financial decision-making during rapid growth or cash management crises.
Simplified Expense Reimbursement and Bill Pay
Early-stage teams use Mercury's invoicing, bill pay, and reimbursement features to manage vendor payments and employee expenses through a single platform instead of juggling multiple tools, reducing accounting overhead.
Alternatives
Brex
Broader fintech platform with strong emphasis on corporate cards and lending products; Mercury focuses more on core banking as the foundation with cards as complementary feature.
Silicon Valley Bank
Traditional bank with slower manual onboarding and less favorable stance toward high-activity startup accounts; Mercury built specifically to understand and serve startup banking patterns.
Wise Business
Specialized in international payments and multi-currency accounts; Mercury is a full-featured US business banking platform with broader financial management tools.
Square for Startups
Designed primarily for ecommerce and point-of-sale businesses; Mercury is broader business banking for any startup type.
FAQ
What does Mercury do? +
Mercury is a modern online bank designed exclusively for startups and technology-focused businesses. It offers zero-fee business checking and savings accounts, corporate cards, invoicing, bill pay, spend management, and real-time financial dashboards. The platform understands startup funding cycles and cash flow patterns, eliminating account blocks and friction that traditional banks impose on early-stage companies.
How much does Mercury cost? +
Core Mercury banking is free with no monthly fees, account minimums, or overdraft fees. Paid plans start at $35/month for advanced features like additional invoicing capabilities and NetSuite automation. Mercury Personal (consumer banking) is $240/year but included free with active Mercury Business accounts. Mercury Treasury is available for accounts with balances over $250K.
What are alternatives to Mercury? +
Brex (corporate cards and lending focused), Silicon Valley Bank (traditional bank, slower onboarding), Wise Business (international payments), and Square for Startups (ecommerce-focused). Each has different strengths depending on your startup's primary needs.
Who uses Mercury? +
Early-stage to growth-stage startups and technology-focused companies, particularly Series A-C stage with recent funding. Founders, CFOs, and finance teams at companies needing modern banking infrastructure, real-time financial visibility, and fast onboarding without traditional bank friction.
How does Mercury compare to Brex? +
Brex is a broader fintech platform with heavy emphasis on corporate credit cards and lending. Mercury prioritizes core banking (checking/savings accounts) as the foundation, with cards as a complementary product. Mercury's strength is in providing an integrated financial dashboard and spending visibility; Brex's strength is in high-limit cards and financing products for growth-stage companies.
Tags
startup banking
business accounts
zero-fee banking
cash management
financial visibility
spend management
founder tools