JAX Hub Selects Three Fintech Companies to Validate Solutions with Paysafe
Parafin, Alpaca, and Paybotic Financial selected from more than 600 companies to begin validating fintech solutions with the payments platform in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville, FL, 10 April 2026 – JAX Hub, the Jacksonville-based financial innovation programme developed in partnership with L Marks, has selected three companies to join its inaugural cohort: Parafin, Alpaca, and Paybotic Financial. The cohort was chosen following a competitive process: more than 600 companies from 56 countries were reviewed, 70 submitted completed applications, and 14 were invited to pitch at the University of North Florida in February 2026.
Selected companies will now begin structured engagements with Paysafe, JAX Hub‘s founding corporate partner, with the programme commencing in April 2026. Each company was evaluated for its ability to address real product and operational priorities across Paysafe’s payments platform, with selection criteria ranging from technical readiness to commercial viability and fit with Jacksonville’s broader financial services ecosystem.
Parafin provides platforms with embedded financial products for small businesses, abstracting the complexity of capital markets, underwriting, servicing, compliance, and customer support. The company powers the financial services of marketplaces, vertical SaaS platforms, and payment processors, and has extended more than $25 billion in offers to hundreds of thousands of businesses across platforms including Amazon, Walmart, and DoorDash.
Alpaca provides brokerage infrastructure APIs that enable fintechs and institutions to embed investing capabilities across equities, ETFs, options, fixed income, and digital assets. Through its platform, partners can build and scale financial products including 24/5 trading, high-yield cash, securities lending, and tokenized equities, with Alpaca today supporting more than 10 million brokerage accounts globally.
Paybotic Financial is a compliance-first financial platform delivering banking infrastructure and digital payment solutions for the cannabis industry. The company provides licensed cannabis operators with corporate debit cards, ACH payment capabilities, and multi-channel payment tools, combining financial technology with regulatory expertise to support businesses operating within a complex compliance environment.
“With more than 70 applications in its first year, it is a clear signal that Jacksonville is becoming a global destination for fintech innovation. Paysafe has created a compelling opportunity through its engagement and by providing clear pathways to commercial outcomes. The selected companies bring capabilities across embedded finance, infrastructure, and compliance with immediate application across Paysafe’s platform.”
– Daniel Saunders, Chief Executive Officer, L Marks
“From embedded finance and brokerage infrastructure to compliance‑first payments, we look forward to working with them through JAX Hub to connect technologies that can deliver real value across our payments ecosystem.”
– Bob Legters, Chief Product Officer, Paysafe
JAX Hub was established by L Marks in April 2025 with Paysafe as its founding industry partner, and is backed by JAXUSA Partnership and the UK Department for Business and Trade, building on the UK-Florida Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023. The University of North Florida’s Coggin College of Business serves as a founding academic partner, contributing graduate student talent and research support throughout the programme.
About JAX Hub
JAX Hub is a Jacksonville initiative developed in partnership with L Marks to connect the city’s financial services ecosystem with global innovators. The programme is backed by JAXUSA Partnership and the UK Department for Business and Trade, with Paysafe and the University of North Florida as founding partners.
About L Marks
L Marks is the global leader in corporate innovation, trusted by many of the world’s most well-respected brands and organisations to identify, validate, and implement transformative solutions. Through its global network spanning over 80 countries, L Marks discovers more than 10,000 startups and scaleups annually and has enabled over 485 to pilot with corporate partners, achieving an industry-leading deployment rate of 78%. Its alumni have collectively raised over $9.4 billion in venture funding. With over a decade of experience in delivering 120+ award-winning innovation programmes across Europe, North America, and Asia, L Marks is embedding new structures and technologies, driving an innovative culture, and ultimately fuelling sustainable growth.
To learn more, visit lmarks.com.
About Paysafe
Paysafe is a global payments platform powering the experience economy, with a strong focus on the iGaming, video gaming, e-commerce, online trading, retail, travel and hospitality sectors. With 30 years of expertise in payment technology, Paysafe helps businesses and consumers lift every experience through seamless, secure payment solutions, including card payments, digital wallets such as Skrill, eCash solutions like PaysafeCard, and a suite of local payment methods. With approximately 2,900 employees across 12 countries and annualized transactional volume of $167 billion in 2025, Paysafe connects people and businesses worldwide through innovative digital payment experiences.
About University of North Florida
The University of North Florida (UNF) is a leading public university in Jacksonville, dedicated to preparing students for high-impact careers across key industries. Based in Jacksonville, UNF plays a central role in developing the region’s future workforce. As part of JAX Hub, UNF provides student talent and research support throughout the lab process, helping develop the next generation of fintech professionals and strengthening the local innovation ecosystem.
About JAXUSA Partnership
JAXUSA Partnership is the regional economic development arm of JAX Chamber, focused on attracting and expanding business in Northeast Florida. Covering seven counties, JAXUSA works with companies and site selectors to provide market data, site selection assistance, workforce support, and connections to local resources.
About Department for Business and Trade
The UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) supports economic growth by championing British businesses at home and abroad. As part of a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at deepening economic ties between the UK and Florida, DBT helped establish the UK–Florida fintech corridor, laying the groundwork for JAX Hub.
About Parafin
Parafin is a financial infrastructure company that provides platforms with embedded financial products for their small businesses by abstracting the complexity of capital markets, underwriting, servicing, compliance, and customer support. By powering the financial services of marketplaces, vertical SaaS platforms, and payment processors, small businesses can run and grow themselves despite uncertain economic conditions.
In just a few years, Parafin has launched on Amazon, Walmart, DoorDash and more platforms to serve hundreds of thousands of businesses and extended over $25 billion in offers.
Parafin was founded in 2020 by Sahill Poddar, Vineet Goel, and Ralph Furman, and is backed by Ribbit Capital, Thrive Capital, GIC, Notable Capital, and Redpoint Ventures.
For more information, visit parafin.com or contact media@parafin.com.
About Alpaca
Alpaca is a US-headquartered, self-clearing broker-dealer and a global leader in brokerage infrastructure APIs providing access to stocks, ETFs, options, fixed income, and crypto. Alpaca delivers embeddable finance solutions for tokenization, fully paid securities lending, high-yield cash, 24/5 trading, Shariah-compliant investing, and more. Today, Alpaca powers over 10 million brokerage accounts across hundreds of fintechs and institutions in 40+ countries with over $320M in funding. For more information, visit: alpaca.markets.
About Paybotic Financial
Paybotic Financial is a compliance-first financial platform delivering secure banking infrastructure and digital payment solutions designed specifically for the cannabis industry. The company provides licensed cannabis operators with corporate debit cards, ACH payment capabilities, and multi-channel payment tools, combining financial technology with deep regulatory expertise. For more information, visit payboticfinancial.com.