“Can a childcare vertical SaaS own the tuition-collection layer for multi-center preschool operators globally?”
Illumine is an AI-powered childcare management SaaS founded in 2018, serving 3,000+ preschools and daycares across 50+ countries. Its embedded finance angle is tuition billing: automated invoicing, ACH/card autopay, subsidy split-billing (CCAP, Head Start, DHS, DCFS), and QuickBooks/Xero sync. In 2025-2026 the company adopted Adyen as its US payment gateway and expanded AI-powered features across parent communication, lesson planning, and CRM.
Illumine processes payments through Adyen.
Illumine integrates with QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 2 layers in Illumine's stack: Payments / PSP (Adyen); Accounting (QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books).
Illumine is founded in 2018 and headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, United States.
Illumine has raised $3.5M in total.
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Illumine 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.