PayIt goes outdoors, acquiring sportsman tech startup, Nashville hub for its expanded footprint

A newly announced deal to acquire Nashville-based conservation tech provider Sovereign Sportsman Solutions (S3) is expected to expand PayIt’s govtech solutions into the world of outdoor recreation — making it easier for hunting, fishing and boating enthusiasts to obtain needed licenses and permits.

John Thomson, PayIt, speaking at his 2021 induction into the Junior Achievement of Kansas City Business Hall of Fame; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News

The strategic acquisition — subject to customary closing conditions and set to close by the end of May — affirms a new standard for govtech, as well as PayIt’s value proposition, noted John Thomson, co-founder and CEO of Kansas City-based scaleup PayIt.

“Our mission is to bring modern, cloud native technology to government in service of the agency and then the constituents that we serve together,” Thompson told Startland News. “It’s really fun to watch it make a huge difference in digitizing government and putting government in the hands of people when they need it — the way they need it. It’s extremely rewarding to watch that pay off.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

PayIt seeks to create a smooth user experience for any type of digital transaction through its government services and payments platform — from renewing a driver’s license to paying property taxes. While residents enjoy more convenience, agencies cut manual work and collect revenue faster.

RELATED: Rapidly scaling PayIt raises another $90M amid ‘long-overdue transformation’ of govtech 

S3 provides solutions for state conservation agencies to engage outdoors enthusiasts at scale. The S3 platform includes licensing and permitting solutions for hunting and fishing, recreational vehicles, boats, volunteer and event management and specialty permits.

Chris Willard, Sovereign Sportsman Solutions (S3)

The acquisition is an exciting new chapter for S3, as well as its partners and the outdoor enthusiasts they serve, said Chris Willard, the chief customer officer for S3.

“As part of PayIt, we will have expanded ability to support our customers’ mission outcomes, innovate faster and help drive the technology advancements that the conservation community deserves,” Willard said.

Combining PayIt and S3 paves the way to a shared vision of a more unified resident experience across jurisdictions and agencies. Conservation leaders will benefit from PayIt’s expertise in rich front-end experiences to accelerate their recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) programs for outdoors enthusiasts, company officials said. S3’s expertise in licensing and customer management will help unlock additional value for state and local agencies, bringing to market a widening range of modern solutions for state and local governments.

“When you think about the new integrated company together, of course it allows us to thrive more, be able to lean more into [research and development] and be a better partner to our city, county, state and provincial clients,” Thomson said. “We’re really excited about that and the future of innovation that will bear as a result of this.”

PayIt was drawn to S3 by its proven status as the market leader with the best, most modern cloud-based technology, he continued.

“As we got to know [S3], we learned that not only is the technology really great; but, more importantly, we were drawn to the people,” Thomson continued. “The people are really talented, really mission-oriented and really care about serving their clients. They care about being great partners and supporting the mission to grow conservation. That’s what resonated with us.”

Mike Plunkett and John Thomson, PayIt co-founders

The transaction comes during a shift in how government agencies approach digital services, Thomson noted. Public sector organizations have embraced cloud-native solutions like PayIt and S3 to quickly digitize access, engage residents and drive operational efficiency.

Members of S3 are set to be added to PayIt’s executive team, and the combined company will serve 100 million residents in North America. 

“We’re excited to add an office in Nashville,” Thomson said, noting PayIt’s plans to retain S3’s Nashville headquarters as part of its new footprint. “Our core business has clients in the state of Tennessee, across cities and counties, so we’re excited to do that. We’ll see growth in Nashville and Kansas City, and other places as a result too.”

Click here to read more about PayIt co-founder John Thomson’s philosophy on entrepreneurship and taking risks.