The origin: Experienced entrepreneurs solving a real payment problem

In 2021, when much of the crypto industry was focused on speculation and price movement, two brothers — Niraj Patel and Jayneel Patel — were thinking about a different question entirely:

“If crypto promises instant global money movement, why is real-world usage still slow, expensive, and fragmented?”

Niraj and Jayneel were serial entrepreneurs and lifelong technologists. Before Speed, they founded Orderhive, a global SaaS automation platform that streamlined e‑commerce operations for thousands of merchants worldwide. Orderhive grew rapidly and achieved a successful acquisition exit — giving them firsthand insight into how slow settlements and fragmented payment systems limit global commerce.

They saw what others missed: crypto could solve these challenges, but only if the right infrastructure existed.

So they built it.

From prototype to a global payment network

The founders didn’t begin with a complex platform. They started with a simple idea:

Send. Receive. Settle instantly.

They built their prototype on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, recognizing it as the only infrastructure capable of delivering global, real-time micropayments with near-zero fees.

Early users described it simply:

Speed: “It’s fast.”

Functionality: “It just works.”

Openness: “It’s permissionless.”

The Feeling: “This is how payments should feel.”

What began as a merchant-focused API has evolved into a global payment layer growing at more than 100% year-over-year.

Speed Merchant — The enterprise payment layer

Speed Merchant is built for merchants, platforms, and payment systems that demand one-second settlement, ultra-low fees, enterprise-grade compliance, and the ability to operate seamlessly at global scale. It enables businesses to accept both Bitcoin and Stablecoins through a single, unified payment infrastructure layer.

As adoption grew, Speed emerged as a trusted partner for companies seeking dependable, Lightning-powered infrastructure that can support real-world payment volumes without complexity or compromise.

Enterprise validation: Adoption by leading brands

One of the strongest real-world validations of Speed’s infrastructure came from its adoption by Steak ’n Shake, a nationally recognized restaurant chain operating high‑volume checkout systems across hundreds of locations.

Steak ’n Shake attributed their double-digit sales growth and a 50% reduction in payment processing fees to the Bitcoin payments.

Supporting Lightning-based Bitcoin and stablecoin payments in this environment required custom payment flows across POS, kiosk, and mobile channels, along with high-availability infrastructure and deep integration expertise with Acrelec and kiosk systems.

Speed delivered on every front.

The successful rollout demonstrated Speed’s ability to meet the strict operational and reliability standards expected by enterprise brands — proving Lightning’s viability at scale and establishing Speed as a production‑ready partner for national and global merchants.

Speed Wallet — Completing the payment loop

As merchant adoption accelerated, individuals and businesses needed a simple, intuitive way to store and move funds. This led to Speed Wallet — now one of the world’s fastest-growing Lightning wallets, with more than 1.2 million users.

Speed Wallet enables instant Bitcoin and stablecoin transfers, supports global payouts, offers local on- and off-ramps, and powers USDT transactions through the Lightning Network—completing the payment loop between merchants and end users.

The breakthrough: Bringing stablecoins onto lightning

The founders recognized a crucial truth:

Bitcoin brings speed. Stablecoins bring stability.

The future required both.

Acting on these insights, Speed became one of the first companies to deeply integrate USDT into Lightning-based infrastructure — merging the world’s most adopted digital dollar with the world’s fastest network.

This breakthrough unlocked significant growth across eCommerce, gaming, and digital platforms, while also enabling seamless international payouts and efficient payment flows for creators and the global gig economy.

Why Tether and ego death capital invested in Speed

Speed’s traction, execution, and real-world adoption attracted two of the most influential forces in the Bitcoin ecosystem:

Both recognized Speed as a category leader in Lightning-based Bitcoin and stablecoin payments.