Most Bitcoin businesses still get paid like it is 1999 — wire transfers, ACH, and clunky invoicing tools that were never designed for digital bearer assets. Zaprite is fixing that. Founded in 2017 in Austin by John Magill, the company offers a Bitcoin-native invoicing and payments platform that lets any business send a professional invoice, accept Bitcoin on-chain or over Lightning, and still take fiat where needed — all from one dashboard.

The product is deliberately practical. Freelancers, agencies, consultants, online stores, and service businesses can issue branded invoices, track payments, and reconcile income without handing custody to a payment processor. Bitcoin payments settle directly to the merchant's own wallet; fiat payments flow through standard rails. The merchant chooses which currency to denominate in and which to keep.

This fits the Fulgur thesis exactly. Bitcoin and Lightning only become real money when ordinary businesses can use them as easily as Stripe or PayPal. Zaprite removes the friction in the workflow that matters most — getting paid — and does it without forcing merchants to abandon their existing fiat operations. It is the bridge tool that makes Bitcoin acceptance a low-risk decision.

The macro story is straightforward. Card networks extract three to four percent on every swipe and routinely freeze accounts they disagree with. Bitcoin and Lightning offer a cheaper, censorship-resistant alternative — but only if there is software that turns those properties into a product business owners can adopt in an afternoon. That is the wedge Zaprite is driving.

We welcomed Zaprite to the portfolio in 2022 and continue to back the team as it builds the financial back office for the Bitcoin economy.