Lotaris

Lotaris, founded in 2008 by Robert Tibbs and David Keast, operated as a cloud-based, in-app commerce service provider. The company was headquartered in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, with additional offices in San Francisco, Singapore, and Tokyo, positioning itself to serve a global clientele. Lotaris secured $9.5 million in a Series A funding round in 2011, with investors including Credit Suisse, Venturelab, and Vickers Venture Partners.

The core of Lotaris's business was a platform that empowered mobile app and game developers to monetize their products through in-app purchases. It targeted developers across various ecosystems, including Windows, Android, and iOS, and partnered with major app stores like Google Play, Apple App Store, and the Opera Mobile Store. The platform provided a comprehensive service that managed the entire user transaction, encompassing multiple business models, virtual item catalog management, and various checkout methods. A key feature was its function as a Merchant of Record, which simplified the complexities of payment processing for developers. This allowed developers to use a single API to integrate in-app purchasing across multiple app stores, rather than building separate integrations for each one.

Lotaris offered a competitive revenue-sharing model, aiming to provide a more cost-effective solution for developers compared to the standard cuts taken by major app stores like Microsoft's. The service was designed to give developers more control and direct access to their user base, supporting various licensing options such as subscriptions, which were not always readily available on all platforms. The company served notable clients like Microsoft, Symantec, Sega, and Capcom. Despite its initial funding and partnerships, Lotaris is now listed as a deadpooled company.

Keywords: in-app commerce, mobile payments, app monetization, developer tools, payment gateway, merchant of record, mobile licensing, revenue sharing, digital commerce, software monetization