PayIt appoints new president and COO as fast-scaling KC govtech company hits pivotal moment
November 16, 2023 | Startland News Staff
A veteran govtech leader is joining one of Kansas City’s best-known scale-ups as the company eyes a new era of growth and the expansion of its national and international footprint.
PayIt — a leader in digital customer experience solutions with integrated payments for state, local, and provincial governments — announced on Thursday the appointment of Tom Nieto as its new president and chief operating officer.
Nieto, who comes with 15 years of industry experience, is expected to focus on driving strategy for PayIt, scaling its operations, and building out capabilities to continue to drive growth for the company.
“Tom’s rich blend of highly relevant professional experiences, strong leadership style, and passion for the PayIt mission made him an easy choice to help guide our business through its next stages,” said John Thomson, co-founder and CEO of PayIt. “I am confident that his contributions will drive our company forward, and our customers, current and future, will benefit from the progress we make with Tom on the team.”
PayIt currently has more than 225 employees distributed across North America, with its headquarters in downtown Kansas City, as well as offices in Nashville and Toronto.
Thomson and co-founder Mike Plunkett will remain in essential roles with the company, PayIt said.
With Nieto on board, Thomson will be able to focus even more of his efforts on strategic growth and business decisions as the new president takes over overseeing more of the scaling business’s operations.
In his new role as chief development officer, Plunkett — who previously served as COO — will prioritize client relationships, key business development efforts, and leadership development within the company.
RELATED: PayIt co-founder: No one-size-fits-all formula for scaling one of KC biggest startup ideas
Nieto was most recently COO at Accela. He previously held leadership positions at companies including Box and Boston Consulting Group. Nieto holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University and B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University.
PayIt’s modern customer experience and payments platform for government simplifies the way government agencies serve their communities. Cities, towns, counties, states, and provinces use PayIt to collect revenue, work more efficiently, and deliver a better customer experience.
Click here to learn more about PayIt.
The company consolidates services including property tax, DMV, outdoors, courts, and utilities into one connected experience for residents — launching quickly and saving government agencies up to $6 per transaction, according to PayIt.
“Payit is at a pivotal moment in our continued growth trajectory,” said Nieto. “Our differentiated offering and talented team has us poised to continue our growth across North America.”
“I am excited to join PayIt to build our next phase of growth and deliver an unparalleled experience to our clients and the customers they serve,” he added.

2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kansas City seeks leaders for Smart City board
The City of Kansas City, Mo., is now seeking nominations to lead the city’s smart city efforts. City leaders hope to attract citizens with experience in smart city technologies to help advise the City of Fountain’s coming Cisco Smart City project, in addition to its other smart city efforts. The newly authorized “Smart City Advisory…
RECAP: 1 Million Cups focuses on time with Mixtape, Flowh
There was a theme at today’s 1 Million Cups KC, and it was time. Two startups presented their businesses, both at different stages, and both in different industries, but both dealing with time — how we remember it and how we manage it. Mixtape founder Joel Johnson was first to present his firm, which created…
Lean Lab eyes $25K in national pitch contest
The Lean Lab, a Kansas City-based education innovation incubator, is hoping to strike gold in a national pitch competition in California. The organization on Wednesday will be pitching its model in the Teach For America Social Innovation Awards, an annual competition in which the Lean Lab hopes to snag a $25,000 prize. Lean Lab is the…


