Building Revenue Streams: ISV Payment Partnerships Demystified

On this episode of Payments Ground Game, hosts Elaina and Kevin Smith pull back the curtain on the process of monetizing payments for ISVs entering the space. Inspired by a recent conversation with an ISV looking to transition from Stripe to a more lucrative payments partnership, Elaina and Kevin walk listeners through the critical questions and considerations every software vendor should explore before signing on the dotted line.

From understanding your business model and mapping out the payments process, to divvying up responsibilities like underwriting, risk, and customer service, this candid, "off-the-cuff" discussion covers the nuts and bolts ISVs need to navigate. The duo dives into the importance of knowing your card mix, choosing between cookie-cutter or custom pricing, and the often overlooked complexities of hardware certification and billing.

Along the way, they stress the value of slowing down negotiations, investing in expert consultants and attorneys, and having thoughtful discussions about risk and revenue shares—rather than jumping straight to price. If you’re an ISV thinking about getting into the payments game, or just want to avoid the biggest pitfalls, this episode is packed with practical advice, real-world scenarios, and the kind of questions you should demand answers to before you launch.

Chapters

• (00:00:04) - Payments Ground Game: Monetizing Payments
• (00:08:26) - No PIN debit at checkout
• (00:10:03) - IsV liability discussed in financial terms
• (00:11:40) - Certification to a POS: The Best Path for Your Business?
• (00:15:25) - Marathon: Merchant Billing, Underwriting
• (00:17:38) - IsV Payments: Revenue Sharing
• (00:22:13) - Payment Services: Revenue Share and Schedule A
• (00:26:49) - How To Get Certified as a Payment Processor
• (00:29:38) - A Taste of Ben's