Miami-based bitcoin startup Tmrw has raised $1.3 million in pre-seed funding to develop its social payments app powered by the Bitcoin Lightning Network. Maple VC led the funding round, and bitcoin angel investors such as Brad Mills joined the round.
TMRW aims to enable cross-border peer-to-peer payments by leveraging the speed and low cost of the Lightning Network Lightspark And ZeroHashThe app uses Universal Money Addresses, an open payment standard built on Lightning, to send fiat and bitcoin instantly across borders.
This allows TMRW to facilitate fast, cost-effective remittances to regions like the Caribbean, where traditional providers charge high fees. Remittance is a major use case for Bitcoin and Lightning as they offer significant cost savings compared to legacy finance.
TMRW co-founder Alexandra Lachman said the app shows how bitcoin can unlock borderless payments for family and friends around the world. The startup wants to showcase bitcoin’s everyday utility and make payments social.
The app includes features such as adding messages, emojis, and images to payments. TMRW also helps new users by allowing them to earn bitcoin rewards and see how their contacts use bitcoin.
TMRW is running pilots in the Caribbean and has opened its iOS beta to U.S. users. This funding will help expand into the U.S. market and make bitcoin and fiat transfers available globally.
Bitcoin Lightning is being adopted for money remittances and cross-border transfers, as it offers significant cost savings compared to traditional providers. Money remittance is a major initial use case for Bitcoin and Lightning, making it cheaper and faster to send money abroad.
