Tech Transformers

Start-up worth $2.3B after secret Zuckerberg fund invests

Dutch online payments firm Adyen has snagged a $2.3 billion valuation after a funding round from a secretive personal wealth management company that counts Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg among its clients.

Adyen is the Netherlands' only "unicorn" – a technology company valued over $1 billion – and processes payments for social media hubs such as Facebook, Netflix and Spotify.

The start-up did not disclose the amount of money it raised, but said the funding round was aimed at bringing key investors on board—namely Iconiq Capital, which has poured the money into Adyen.

Iconiq is a highly secretive wealth management firm that manages mo investments for the likes of Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman and interim Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. It's run by Divesh Makan, a former Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley banker.

Adyen

Iconiq has $12.5 billion assets under management but little is known about the company.

For Adyen's boss, the connection to some of Silicon Valley's most powerful people was enough to agree to the wealth management firm becoming an investor.

"When we were given the chance to get the people behind those companies as investors you just don't say no, that's a unique opportunity," Pieter van der Does, CEO of Adyen, told CNBC in an interview.

"It will help expand our network in the Silicon Valley companies."

The funding from Iconiq comes after Adyen raised $250 million last year, giving it a valuation of $1.5 billion. The new valuation is $2.3 billion.

Current investors in Adyen include Temasek, Index Ventures, Felicis Ventures and General Atlantic.

Iconiq has previously invested in Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart and U.S. cloud security company Netskope.