Continuing its hot streak, PayIt wins national pitch contest

Government tech startup PayIt is on a roll.

Only weeks after a earning a commendation from Amazon, the Kansas City-based firm recently won a national pitch competition as part of the annual United States Conference of Mayors. PayIt’s mobile and web app that streamlines citizens’ financial interaction with government agencies beat out dozens of other firms around the nation.

PayIt CEO John Thomson said that the win further validates that his company’s platform offers citizens and governments real value.

“It feels great to be recognized for the team’s hard work and innovative thinking,” Thomson said. “[The win] really underscores the role we’re playing in changing the way people do business with government and how smart governments want to serve their citizens and consume and deploy modern technology.”

As a finalist in the Indianapolis-based pitch competition, PayIt had three minutes to share its vision with more than 200 mayors around the nation. PayIt fielded questions from a panel of judges, including Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

[pullquote]“Nothing pleases me more than seeing a Kansas City company win.” – Kansas City Mayor Sly James[/pullquote]

PayIt beat out NextRequest, OpenCities, Citibot and Kansas City-based PlanIT Impact to win the $10,000 first prize.

Thomson said that the win has helped spur new business for his company.

“The mayors’ feedback was incredibly positive and, most telling, has resulted in a whirlwind of market momentum,” he said. “We’re laser-focused on simplifying government and generating value for citizens and smart governments alike, and the market is responding. Being innovative in a market that hasn’t had a lot of innovation is extremely rewarding.”

Kansas City Mayor Sly James, who attended the event, dished kudos not only to PayIt for its win, but also the innovative community in which it operates.

“It was exciting to see two Kansas City companies (PayIt and PlanIT Impact) make strong pitches on a national stage,” James said in a release. “Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community cannot be beat. Congratulations to PayIt — nothing pleases me more than seeing a Kansas City company win.”

Now with 21 staffers, PayIt has grown from easing the initial pain-point of working with the DMV to streamlining services for other government agencies. A few examples, Thomson said, includes government agencies that manage permitting, taxes, licenses, citations and more.

PayIt in January raised $4.5 million from a variety of investors, led by New York City-based Advantage Capital Partners, and followed by Weatherford Partners, Royal Street Ventures, the Missouri Technology Corporation and Five Elms Capital.

The firm in June was named a finalist out of 200 applicants for Amazon’s City on a Cloud competition for its use of the “AWS Gov Cloud” as the platform’s foundation. PayIt also earned third place in the SXSW “U.S. Conference of Mayors and Code for America Tech Innovation Pitch” competition, competing against 61 other startups.

To learn more about PayIt, check out the video below.