“Can a cannabis-vertical POS own the payments layer that federal banking rules force dispensaries to reinvent?”
BLAZE is a cannabis-focused vertical SaaS platform providing POS, ecommerce, and payments to dispensaries and delivery services. Because cannabis remains federally illegal in the US, traditional card networks won't service the vertical — so BLAZE embeds ACH (via Aeropay) and Cashless ATM rails as its primary payment offering under the BLAZEPAY brand. The company is layering AI automation on top via BLAZE Labs rather than expanding into traditional embedded finance products (lending, cards, banking).
BLAZE processes payments through Aeropay and BLAZEPAY (self-operated). Disclosed money-movement rails: ACH.
BLAZE integrates with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero and Sage Intacct.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 3 layers in BLAZE's stack: Payments / PSP (Aeropay and BLAZEPAY (self-operated)); Money movement (ACH); Accounting (QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero and Sage Intacct).
BLAZE is founded in 2017 and headquartered in Anaheim, California, United States.
BLAZE has raised $9.5M in total (latest round: Series A, 2021).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against BLAZE and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.