# Knot — Full LLM Context

## Company Overview

Knot is a merchant connectivity platform founded in 2020 by Rory and Kieran O'Reilly, headquartered in New York City. Knot connects financial institutions and fintechs to online merchant accounts via API, allowing partner apps to read and write data to merchant accounts on behalf of their users. Knot positions itself as the merchant connectivity layer — analogous to how Plaid, MX, and Finicity serve as bank connectivity platforms.

The company has raised $19.6M in total funding, including a $10M Series A led by Nava Ventures. Investors include Nava Ventures, 8VC, Amex Ventures, Plaid, and K5 Global Technology.

## Target Customers

- Personal banking institutions (card issuers looking to improve top-of-wallet status)
- Business banking providers
- Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platforms
- Wallet providers (e.g., PayPal, Apple Pay)
- Fintechs
- Merchants

## Products

### CardSwitcher

Lets users update their default payment card at 6,000+ online merchant accounts (Amazon, Netflix, Uber, DoorDash, etc.) directly from a partner's app. Drives top-of-wallet status for card issuers.

Key features:
- Embedded SDK (iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Web)
- Personalization via Apple, Google, and Amazon detected accounts
- Plaid integration for spend-based merchant detection
- FaceID quick-switch on iOS
- Supports both updating existing cards and adding new cards

### TransactionLink

Retrieves SKU-level transaction data from merchant accounts on a recurring basis, including both historical and future transactions. Enables enriched transaction data, receipt-level detail, and loyalty program insights.

Requires a persistent connection to the merchant account (established via the SDK).

### AgenticShopping

Embeds AI-powered merchant cart creation and checkout capabilities directly into partner apps. Enables conversational commerce where users can shop across merchants without leaving the partner app.

Requires a persistent connection to the merchant account.

### Vaulting

Enables wallet providers to vault their digital wallet (e.g., PayPal, Apple Pay) as the default payment method at merchant accounts instead of a payment card. Uses the same SDK-driven experience as CardSwitcher.

Requires a persistent connection to the merchant account.

### Detect

Detects and identifies which merchant accounts a user has via Apple, Google, and Amazon integrations. Surfaces detected accounts for personalization in CardSwitcher or as standalone data via the Sync Detected Accounts API.

### CardUpdater

Provisions a user's new card to their merchant accounts entirely server-side, without requiring re-authentication through the SDK. Ideal for when a user already has linked merchant accounts and a new card is issued (e.g., expired card replacement).

Requires a persistent connection to the merchant account.

## Integration Model

Knot provides both client-side and server-side integration:

**Client-side SDK:** Available for iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, and Web. The SDK handles credential validation, MFA challenges, error handling, and the user-facing experience of connecting merchant accounts.

**Server-side API:** REST API for creating sessions, reading/writing data, managing users, and receiving webhook events for async operations.

**Card data methods:** JWE encryption, VGS/Basis Theory vault proxy, or direct processor integrations (Unit, I2C).

**Merchant coverage:** 6,000+ supported merchants across categories including streaming, food delivery, retail, subscriptions, travel, and more.

## Notable Customers

American Express, Bilt, Step, PayPal, Chime, Current, DoorDash, Forage, OnePay, PayMe, Venmo, Cash App, Pathfinder

## Partners

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Plaid, Unit, I2C

## Compliance

Knot maintains PCI DSS, SOC 2 Type II, and AICPA compliance certifications. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest.

## Website Structure

The Knot website (knotapi.com) includes:

- **Product pages:** CardSwitcher, TransactionLink, AgenticShopping, Vaulting, AccountUpdater, MassSwitcher, Card Monitor
- **Use case pages:** Personal Banking, BaaS, Merchants, Partners
- **Resources:** Blog posts covering partnerships (Unit, Mastercard, Plaid, Amex, Astra), Series A announcement, industry coverage (Nilson Report)
- **Customer stories:** American Express, Bilt, Current, Step, OnePay, Fizz, BlueDot, Zurp, Benny
- **Company:** About Us, Security, Pricing, Careers

## Documentation

Full API documentation is available at https://docs.knotapi.com