PayIt lands ‘the Lou’ as a client for mobile payments
November 17, 2016 | Bobby Burch
Government tech startup PayIt is working with the second-largest city in Missouri.
The Kansas City-based company is now providing its mobile payment technology to the City of St. Louis, allowing its more than 300,000 residents to more easily pay property taxes via an app. Timing was apt for the partnership, as St. Louis’ property taxes began arriving in the mail about one week ago.
A city official said St. Louis tapped PayIt to offer residents more options to pay taxes.
“Taxes are never easy to pay,” St. Louis collector of revenue Gregory Daly said, according to St. Louis’ Fox 2. “We’re trying to make it as easy as possible.”
The PayIt app is free, however, there’s a fee to make payments.
PayIt burst onto the Kansas City startup scene in early January 2016 after it registered a $4.5 million capital raise. Led by CEO John Thomson, the company now has more than 20 employees that work to revolutionize how citizens financially interact with government agencies.
The company has grown from easing the initial pain-point of working with start departments of motor vehicles to streamlining services for other government agencies, including those that manage permitting, taxes, licenses, citations and more.
Left to right: PayIt co-founders Mike Plunkett, John Thomson and Ryan Townsend
The PayIt service offers city, county, state and federal government agencies a personalized platform on which citizens can create a profile to simplify payments and interaction. The platform, for example, can notify a user when a vehicle’s tag must be renewed and then allows payment via phone or computer, increasing engagement and cutting down on physical wait time. The platform also provides analytics information to government agencies on how citizens tap the platform.
Unlike many software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, PayIt provides its platform to government agencies for free upfront. The company takes a small cut of the agency’s transaction fees, reducing its annual costs.
In July, PayIt won a national pitch competition as part of the annual United States Conference of Mayors, beating out dozens of other firms around the nation.
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
ECJC boot camp arming startups for angel investment round
Startups enlisted in the war for capital know the struggle: a perilous gap between seed and success. The Enterprise Center in Johnson County’s new investment boot camp aims to arm them for battle. The Pitch Perfect mini-accelerator program focuses on helping established startups advance to the next round of development by teaching such skills as…
eSports founder: High school gaming ‘not just for jocks anymore’
When Mason Mullenioux attended Blue Springs High School in the early 2000s, he — like many teenagers — wanted to find a place where he belonged. “I was decently athletic, but when I tried out for tennis and basketball I didn’t make the team,” Mullenioux said. “But, I was always very good at ‘World of…
Techstars Spotlight: Software platform courts easy-to-manage litigation data
Amid a digitized world, the legal industry is among the “last frontier” for tech, Thadd Hale said. “There is a lot of opportunity in the legal space,” said Hale, co-founder and CEO of Vector Legal Method. “Litigation as a whole is not very structured or standardized. As you can imagine, lack of standardization can be…
Techweek KC to feature local leaders, hiring fair, grant competition
Techweek is a natural fit for Kansas City, Amanda Signorelli said. “Kansas City is one of the country’s most influential, up-and-coming tech hubs,” Signorelli, Techweek CEO, said in a release. “The community has given Techweek a warm welcome.” The Chicago-based conference series, which focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship, returns to the City of Fountains for…