Operations will make or break your payments product with Emi Keshler and Kyle Scott
When vertical software companies transition from referral-based payment providers to an embedded solution, one of the critical challenges is bringing payments support in-house.Vertical SaaS veterans Emi Keshler and Kyle Scott joined us this week to share their experiences supporting day-to-day operations for embedded payments at vertical software companies, and how to transform payments support from cost center to revenue driver.We discussed:How support and payment operations directly contribute to payments adoption and revenueProduct gaps that create the vast majority of payments-related support tickets – and how to find and fix themWhy an internal payments advocate is essential for a profitable payments product How to move from reactive support to proactive support, and become your merchants’ trusted partnerThe hidden decision that can drive 2x revenue when vertical SaaS companies get it right The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software ConferenceSeptember 9th, 2025 in San Francisco, CAhttps://www.vertexconference.com/ Rainforest is the embedded payments purpose-built for vertical SaaS. Grow revenue with the only payfac-as-a-service provider optimized to help you drive more payments volume at higher margins, without risk or compliance headaches. Learn more: https://rainforestpay.com Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/rainforestpay
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Protect your business from first-party fraud with Shanthi Shanmugam
The chargeback exists to protect consumers. And it assumes that all consumers are good actors. But what happens when they’re not?First party fraud is increasing by 30% every year.It’s hard to detect, accounts for more than 75% of chargebacks, and costs US businesses more than $100B per year.Shanthi Shanmugam, CEO of dispute automation platform Casap, joined guest-host Brooke Smith to discuss how payment providers, ISVs, and merchants can fight first-party fraud.They covered:Why first-party fraud isn’t detected by traditional fraud toolingThe tradeoff between friction and fraud, and how ISVs can strategically insert friction to reduce first-party fraud How modern technology like first-party fraud scores can identify high-risk consumersWhy some customers file chargebacks when they’re confused – and a simple strategy to identify (and fix) the most likely causesSpecific strategies to reduce chargebacks on subscription payments The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software ConferenceSeptember 9th, 2025 in San Francisco, CAhttps://www.vertexconference.com/ Rainforest is the embedded payments purpose-built for vertical SaaS. Grow revenue with the only payfac-as-a-service provider optimized to help you drive more payments volume at higher margins, without risk or compliance headaches. Learn more: https://rainforestpay.com Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/rainforestpay
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Grow payments volume and revenue by upgrading your ACH experience with Joshua Silver
The Automated Clearing House (ACH) network moved $86 trillion in the U.S. in 2024 – more than 7x the four major card networks combined.Yet the big embedded payment providers treat ACH as an afterthought. On this episode, Rainforest Founder and CEO Joshua Silver joins guest host Brooke Smith to discuss how software companies can drive more payments volume and revenue with ACH.They covered:Why ACH is still the backbone of U.S. money movement, and will continue to be for a whileDeep dive into the mechanics, timelines, and risk profile of ACH vs credit cardsModern tools that can reduce the risk of ACH for merchants, software platforms, and payment providersHow to monetize embedded ACH payments by selling the value of the whole solution3 ways to encourage end customers to pay online instead of mailing a check, so you can increase embedded payments utilization (and volume!) The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software ConferenceSeptember 9th, 2025 in San Francisco, CAhttps://www.vertexconference.com/ Rainforest is the embedded payments purpose-built for vertical SaaS. Grow revenue with the only payfac-as-a-service provider optimized to help you drive more payments volume at higher margins, without risk or compliance headaches. Learn more: https://rainforestpay.com Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/rainforestpay
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Swallow the frog and become the system of record with Luke Sophinos
Will AI erode vertical SaaS? How can vertical software companies win market share when enterprise customers can use AI to build their own systems?Vertical software founder, CEO, and investor Luke Sophinos joined Rainforest VP of Revenue Aaron Steinberg to discuss the future of vertical SaaS. They covered:Why focusing on just one or two core values can help software companies build a strong teamLuke’s proven playbook for success in vertical SaaS, and how AI is changing itThe biggest mistake startups make when building AI products and what to do instead One prerequisite vertical software platforms must have before adding paymentsHow vertical SaaS companies can win their market by becoming the system of recordMentioned on this episode:Luke Sophinos: https://lukesophinos.com/Luke’s newsletter: https://www.newsletter.lukesophinos.com/ Vertex: The Vertical Software ConferenceSeptember 9th, 2025 in San Francisco, CAhttps://www.vertexconference.com/ Vertical Software SummitOctober 16th and 17th in Miami, FLhttps://www.verticalsaasgroup.com/vertical-software-summit The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software ConferenceSeptember 9th, 2025 in San Francisco, CAhttps://www.vertexconference.com/ Rainforest is the embedded payments purpose-built for vertical SaaS. Grow revenue with the only payfac-as-a-service provider optimized to help you drive more payments volume at higher margins, without risk or compliance headaches. Learn more: https://rainforestpay.com Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/rainforestpay
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How embedded payments growth can drive 135% net revenue retention with Kevin Lee
What does it take to grow a SaaS company from pre-revenue to market leader or scale to a successful exit?Kevin Lee has been a software and payments leader for more than 25 years and his track record includes multiple successful exits. He joins host Joshua Silver to discuss the the rise of embedded fintech, how the strongest SaaS companies are approaching embedded payments, and why the most promising SaaS companies are selling all-in-one solutions.They covered:How payments combined with business intelligence makes the core SaaS product sticker (and a real-world example)The hidden cause of low adoption and how to prevent itWhy Stripe is no longer the default choice for embedded paymentsHow to choose a payment provider that won’t steal your merchants (this is more common than you think)Overcoming common objections when selling embedded payments to existing customers The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software ConferenceSeptember 9th, 2025 in San Francisco, CAhttps://www.vertexconference.com/ Rainforest is the embedded payments purpose-built for vertical SaaS. Grow revenue with the only payfac-as-a-service provider optimized to help you drive more payments volume at higher margins, without risk or compliance headaches. Learn more: https://rainforestpay.com Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/rainforestpay
When vertical SaaS platforms hear about the success of companies like Toast or Shopify at monetizing payments, it’s tempting to think they can just integrate payments and double their revenue overnight. The reality is a bit more complex, and a lot of SaaS companies miss out on the full revenue potential because their payments product, positioning, or pricing is a little off. Seemingly insignificant details of the payments implementation and go-to-market strategy can have a disproportionate impact on the financial success of a payments offering.Join host Joshua Silver in conversations with SaaS leaders, investors, and industry experts to illuminate the details that actually move the needle – so you can optimize your payments offering for maximum adoption, revenue, and enterprise value. New episodes biweekly on Tuesdays!