Payments Strategy Show

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!

Payments Strategy Show is a business podcast hosted by Rainforest, with 45 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Rainforest hosts Payments Strategy Show, a business show with 45 episodes published.

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  Episode #44

  Cash flow, ACH & embedded payments in field services with Adam Holden

  Aug 11, 202633 min

  In field services, cash flow isn't just a metric. It's the driving force of the business. For AV integrators and custom installers, payments can be complex. Large ticket sizes, progress-based billing, recurring service contracts, and a heavy preference for ACH make the payments needs of this vertical unlike almost any other. Getting it right means understanding how your customers run their businesses. And then building payments around that, not around just a generic playbook. In this episode, Adam Holden , Head of Payments at D-Tools , joined host Becky Kopplin , VP Payments at Rainforest to share how D-Tools navigated the unique ACH-heavy payment landscape of field services, and why embedded payments as a core business model, not a feature is vital for customer adoption. They discussed: How offering payments flexibility helped their customer reduce accounts receivable by 70% Why embedding payments as a core part of the product, not a feature is the single biggest driver of customer adoption and stickiness How cross-functional alignment across leadership, sales, product, and support led to two industry award wins within months of launching embedded payments The way embedded payments actually makes support easier, not harder How to use the unique data you already have on your vertical to build a payments strategy no generic platform can replicate The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software Conference This invite-only event and community offers networking, learning, and unique insights on go-to-market, monetization, product expansion, fundraising, and M&A. Learn more: https://www.vertexconference.com/ Get updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vertex-vertical-software-conference 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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  Episode #42

  From MindBody to Jane App: 15 Years of Embedded Payments Lessons with Emily Bartels

  Jul 14, 202633 min

  Embedding payments successfully isn't just a product decision. It's a cultural one. For vertical SaaS platforms looking to grow revenue through payments, understanding how to build the right culture, hire the right leader, and expand into embedded fintech strategically is the difference between payments that thrive and payments that stall. In this episode, Emily Bartels , VP of Payments at Jane App , joined host Becky Kopplin , VP Payments at Rainforest, to discuss what 15+ years across platforms like MindBody, Skimmer, and Jane App have taught her about embedding payments the right way. That’s everything from back book attachment to building payments into a company’s DNA. They discussed: Why payments culture has to start at the top and what needs to happen before your payments leader's first day on the job How to adapt a payments playbook across verticals without copy-pasting it What it really means to make payments "native", and why it just doesn't work without it The GM mindset every payments leader needs to succeed across product, sales, marketing, and customer success How to think about embedded fintech expansion, what to move fast on and what deserves a deeper strategic bet The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software Conference This invite-only event and community offers networking, learning, and unique insights on go-to-market, monetization, product expansion, fundraising, and M&A. Learn more: https://www.vertexconference.com/ Get updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vertex-vertical-software-conference 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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  Episode #41

  What the 2026 Embedded Payments Benchmark reveals about vertical SaaS

  Jun 16, 202627 min

  At Rainforest, we answer hundreds of payments questions everyday. What's an ideal take rate for a healthcare platform with $200M in annual volume? Is 75% a good attach rate? What's a realistic goal for adoption? The reality is that most vertical SaaS platforms have no idea how their embedded payments performance compares to the industry. That’s exactly why we built the 2026 Vertical SaaS Embedded Payments Benchmarking Study , so platforms can stop guessing and start benchmarking. In this episode, Joshua Silver, Founder and CEO of Rainforest sits down with Brooke Smith, who led the study, to discuss the key findings on adoption, leadership, take rate optimization, and what the highest-performing platforms are doing differently. They discussed: 📊 The adoption gap: 78% of platforms are targeting an adoption rate of 71% or more but only 25% of platforms are currently performing at that level 👔 Why C-suite payments leaders drive significantly better performance across all metrics 💡 How real-time performance dashboards unlock better decision-making and strategy 💰 The surprising impact of dedicated payments leadership on take rate optimization 🚀 What mature high-performers achieve: 78% median adoption and 35% of total revenue from payments The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software Conference This invite-only event and community offers networking, learning, and unique insights on go-to-market, monetization, product expansion, fundraising, and M&A. Learn more: https://www.vertexconference.com/ Get updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vertex-vertical-software-conference 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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  Episode #40

  Fleet payments and embedded fintech done right with Coast’s CEO Daniel Simon

  Jun 1, 202630 min

  Fleet payments represent over 10% of total US B2B card spend, yet most fintech companies have overlooked this massive opportunity. For vertical SaaS platforms serving the physical economy: HVAC, construction, transportation, plumbing — understanding fleet payments is critical to building differentiated embedded fintech products. In this episode, Coast Founder and CEO, Daniel Simon joined host Joshua Silver , Founder and CEO of Rainforest to discuss how vertical SaaS platforms can approach embedded fintech products, why simplicity matters more than cash back, and the significance of integrating payments into core workflows rather than just bolting them on. They discussed: What makes fleet payments so unique and the lessons that translate to other vertical specific payment needs How to build differentiated embedded fintech products by deeply understanding your vertical's workflows Why fraud prevention through data and controls is more valuable than reward programs The reason vertical SaaS platforms should partner, not build fintech on their own Why "giving money meaning" by integrating payments into core workflows drives stickiness The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software Conference This invite-only event and community offers networking, learning, and unique insights on go-to-market, monetization, product expansion, fundraising, and M&A. Learn more: https://www.vertexconference.com/ Get updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vertex-vertical-software-conference 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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  Episode #39

  From payments infrastructure to platform payments with Savannah Krieg

  May 20, 202641 min

  Building embedded payments from the infrastructure side is one thing, but leading payments at a vertical SaaS platform is entirely different. The challenges shift from technology and compliance to change management, cultural alignment, and cross-functional enablement. In this episode, EverHealth ’s Head of Payments, Savannah Krieg joined host Becky Kopplin , VP Payments at Rainforest to share lessons from both sides of the payments world, including what surprised her most about switching from infrastructure provider to platform operator, and the critical success factors that actually move the needle. They discussed: Why 90% of platforms should choose embedded payments over becoming a PayFac Why cultural alignment matters more than technology when launching payments The key metrics platforms should track: attachment, activation, TPV, take rate, and more How to think about payments pricing in the context of total contract value, not just take rate The importance of focusing on people and processes over optimizing tools and operations The Payments Strategy Show is brought to you by Vertex and Rainforest. Vertex: The Vertical Software Conference This invite-only event and community offers networking, learning, and unique insights on go-to-market, monetization, product expansion, fundraising, and M&A. Learn more: https://www.vertexconference.com/ Get updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vertex-vertical-software-conference 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

  ListenShow Notes

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