Jānis Stirna is the co-founder and CEO of Handwave. The company’s palm-scanning tech enables cardless, phoneless payments and identity verification, emphasizing security (two-factor biometrics) and affordability to outpace rivals like Amazon One. With $5M raised—including a $4.2M seed from Practica Capital in August 2025—Handwave partners with Visa and targets retail pilots in Europe, the U.S. and beyond.

On this episode we talk about:

• How fintech innovations like Apple Pay inspired Handwave
• Navigating $5M in funding for hardware B2C fintech
• Leveraging Riga’s fintech hub for talent and pilots, challenges in U.S./EU markets (regulations/privacy)
• Visions for mainstream palm payments by 2030, AI’s role in scaling and the next big platform
• Scrappy tips for Baltic founders—like focusing on technical edges and avoiding hype pitfalls.

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