A new company is looking to do for B2B hardware sales what a growing number of companies have been doing in the consumer sphere, by making it easier for businesses to pay for equipment in instalments through rentals and subscriptions.
While companies such as Klarna and Affirm have been pushing payment services that help consumers procure goods without having to pay for everything up front, Berlin-based startup Topi launched out of stealth last December with $4.5 million in funding to do something similar for B2B transactions. At the time, Topi was somewhat vague in terms of what its actual product would be, but the company today announced its first product in partnership with German electronics retailer Gravis, and unveiled a fresh $45 million in equity and debt financing.Â
Hardware-as-a-service
At its most basic level, Topi is selling a hardware-as-a-service business model, allowing merchants to rent out their equipment such as smartphones, printers, PC monitors, coffee machines, robotic arms, or whatever i …
