PayIt hires former Uber disruptive marketing leader as KC govtech startup’s first CMO

August 6, 2019  |  Startland News Staff

Kansas City-based govtech startup PayIt is downloading executive expertise from the West Coast, John Thomson said Tuesday, announcing PayIt’s first chief marketing officer — a former leader at Uber.

[pullquote]

PayIt’s Elevator Pitch

PayIt is simplifying doing business with state, local, and federal government through its award-winning digital government and payment platform. Along with our government partners, we are transforming the customer experience and making government more modern, convenient, and mobile.

[/pullquote]

Based in San Francisco, Alexandru Otrezov will lead PayIt’s marketing organization and continue to accelerate the company’s brand and growth efforts, said Thomson, co-founder and CEO of PayIt, a headline-grabbing digital government and payment platform. 

“Alex is a world-class marketing executive that cares deeply about PayIt’s mission to ‘Simplify Government,’” he added. “We’re thrilled to have Alex join us at this exciting time as we continue to accelerate the pace of innovation in digitizing government services.”

Otrezov most recently served as head of search and experimentation at Uber, where he led teams responsible for growth across all Uber brands, according to a PayIt press release. He previously worked as senior director of search operations at Expedia, and served in numerous leadership roles at several startups which exited through strategic acquisitions.

“I am extremely excited about the disruptive solution PayIt brings to simplify the customer experience with our government partners,” Otrezov said. “With the help of our experienced leadership team, I am looking forward to introducing our award winning platform into every consumer’s life. I believe that by improving accessibility to government services, we can improve the quality of life for many.”

Led by Thomson and Mike Plunkett, co-founder and COO/CFO, PayIt secured a more than $100 million investment from New York-based Insight Partners in March. Just two months later, the startup received $25 million in follow-on investment by Tampa-based Weatherford Capital.

Thomson indicated in March the company would focus on growing its team to better meet PayIt’s goal to be a transformative force in the govtech space.

Click here to read more about PayIt’s big investment.

[adinserter block="4"]

2019 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    Check out the entrepreneur winners of this library pitch competition (and beyond-the-shelf resources)

    By Tommy Felts | September 27, 2025

    Overwhelmed and excited to make a bigger impact, Rasheedah Villarreal expressed joy and gratitude Thursday after her name was announced as the top winner among a wide-ranging catalog of entrepreneurs pitching for cash prizes, community support, and serious momentum. Her business, Social Emotional Yoga with Mrs. V, also earned “Crowd Favorite” honors, sending the founder…

    Controlled Burn: BoysGrow sets the table for fire-infused meal sparked by farm’s teen entrepreneurs, KC chefs

    By Tommy Felts | September 26, 2025

    A live fire culinary event at the BoysGrow farm in south Kansas City is a dream come true for John Gordon, he shared, detailing plans for a fundraiser that harvests an immersive and unforgettable dining experience from the teen-focused ag entrepreneurship program. The one-night-only “Controlled Burn” heats up Oct. 5 at the 10-acre farm where…

    BeVel’s edge on Troost: Scaling culture alongside barbershop’s executive clean up

    By Tommy Felts | September 26, 2025

    A young Casie Murff jumped from cutting lawns to shaping lines, but it wasn’t until decades later — after embracing support from groups like The Porter House KC, Kansas City G.I.F.T. and a resurgent Troost business community — that the entrepreneur’s vision truly started buzzing. “Sometimes as entrepreneurs, you need that reassurance,” Murff, founder of…

    Photos: Founders plug into vibrant Startup Crawl energy as Startland celebrates decade of storytelling

    By Tommy Felts | September 24, 2025

    Startland News’ one-night, rolling innovation showcase Friday served as a launch for select founders — capitalizing on a crowd of 500-plus Startup Crawl participants to bring their emerging companies into the Kansas City spotlight, one conversation at a time. “I love that we got to share Portrayals XR with Kansas City first,” said Tricia Keightley,…