Guest Post: The following post is a sponsored guest post by Square, Inc. All views and opinions represented in this post are the views and opinions of Square, Inc. and do not represent those of 500 Startups or any of its staff or affiliates.
For many startups in the 500 portfolio, understanding how they can make the easiest, most seamless transactions possible is a top priority. They don’t want to have to worry about their customer not being able to find an easy way to complete a sale due to credit card processing issues. Instead of just introducing them to some of the top credit card point-of-sale companies, we wanted to bring together both parties for a conversation around what’s working, how the founders hope to grow their businesses, and how to improve the relationship between the parties.
On February 19th, we did just that. Square and 500 jointly hosted “Founders Day” where startups were able to get an inside scoop to Square’s offerings, provide feedback on the experience, and even have a chance to ask questions directly to Square’s CEO, Jack Dorsey.
Industry Agnostic
Like 500, Square was able to address founders of all different industries. Dorsey shared a personal story regarding a woman who owned a flower shop around the corner from his apartment, the home and office of the early stages of Square. This flower shop was cash only and lost countless purchases due to customers not purchasing the product simply because they did not carry cash.
Square was just the answer the shop owner needed, a solution for almost everything in one place. This story related to many of the founders at the event as we had founders from across the board represented at the event The founder of ThankUCash, a Nigerian based multi-merchant rewards platform and Batch 26 company, stated that this “one-stop run-your-business shop” is exactly what founders need in Africa.
Optimizing the Feedback Loop
As one of our goals was to improve the relationship and feedback loop from the founders to Square, we dove into the omnichannel presence that Square offers. It’s one of the main value propositions for startups as they continue to pivot and iterate their product and processes on a daily basis. Freeing up the founder’s ability to change fast and often was something that resonated with the founders and they emphasized how valuable that cross-platform analysis can be in understanding how to nail down product-market fit and decrease any friction in the buying process.
The Square x 500 Founders Day event gave these startup founders the information they needed in order to create seamless transactions for their startups. Square took their worry away by answering all of their questions. This intimate event gave the founders the space to ask all the questions they have been wanting to ask the best of the best. They were given the advice needed to have a strong foundation in the early phases of their startup and tips on how to grow into a renowned company.
Partnering with Square
500 Startups companies get exclusive access to Square’s team and a fast track to joining Square App Marketplace, where sellers go to find innovative business tools. Talk to Square about integrating with Square APIs, and co-marketing opportunities to help you scale.
If you would like to learn more about Square and join the exclusive 500 x Square slack channel, click here.
THIS POST IS A SPONSORED GUEST POST BY SQUARE, INC. ANY VIEWS OR OPINIONS REPRESENTED IN THE ABOVE POST ARE THOSE OF SQUARE, INC. AND DO NOT REPRESENT THOSE OF 500 STARTUPS OR ANY OF ITS STAFF OR AFFILIATES UNLESS EXPLICITLY STATED. ALL CONTENT REPRESENTED ABOVE IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. 500 STARTUPS MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS AS TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE ABOVE POST. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANY OF THE ABOVE CONTENT BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL, TAX OR INVESTMENT ADVICE FROM 500 STARTUPS OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES.
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