Does this describe you: We are a SaaS platform ready to add payments?

Vertical SaaS platforms adding embedded payments need to design the program model, bank relationship, and economics structure before selecting vendors. ExpandUp helps SaaS platforms launch embedded payments with the right architecture from the start — targeting 80–120 basis points take rate rather than the 15–25 bps vendor defaults deliver.

Does this describe you: We are a fintech building a payment program?

Fintechs building payment programs face the same core decisions: BaaS vs. direct bank, compliance framework design, sponsor bank selection, and economics architecture. ExpandUp guides fintechs through the program design sequence before vendor selection — the decision that determines the economics ceiling for the life of the program.

Does this describe you: Our payment economics are underperforming?

Payment economics underperformance is almost always architectural — processor spread, BaaS middleware share, float not negotiated, Level 2/3 data not transmitted, or fee structure not designed. ExpandUp diagnoses the specific gaps and designs the recovery sequence. At $5M monthly volume, recoverable economics typically range from $300K to $800K annually.

Does this describe you: We are an AP platform trying to monetize payments?

AP payment monetization requires the right bank structure, commercial card BIN, supplier enablement program, and cascading payment waterfall. Most AP platforms run at 10–20% VCard acceptance; well-designed programs reach 40%+. ExpandUp has built and operated $350M in AP payments revenue and knows exactly where the leakage is.

Does this describe you: We are building a card program?

Card programs require BIN sponsorship, a direct bank relationship, compliance framework design, and card processor selection — in that sequence. ExpandUp architects card programs from the bank structure up, ensuring the program captures full interchange economics rather than the 40–60% that BaaS middleware arrangements typically deliver.

Does this describe you: We need help with compliance architecture?

Embedded finance compliance — BSA/AML program design, KYB/KYC infrastructure, OFAC screening, bank reporting — must be designed for your specific program model and bank relationship. ExpandUp designs compliance frameworks that satisfy sponsor bank requirements and scale with the program, not compliance consulting that tells you what the rules are without designing how to implement them.

Embedded Finance Architecture & Advisory

The defaults get you live.
They don't get you profitable.
They don't accelerate adoption.

ExpandUp helps organizations make the architecture, commercialization, and operating model decisions that determine whether embedded finance programs create adoption, revenue, and enterprise value.

Start the conversation → See outcomes we create

Your Starting Point

Where Are You In Your Embedded Finance Journey?

Most organizations don't need the same advice. They need the right advice for the stage they're in. The decision that creates your next challenge is often made in the stage before it appears.

Exploring › Building › Optimizing › Expanding

Stage 01

Exploring

"We're evaluating whether embedded finance, payments, or monetization is worth pursuing."

Most companies spend too much time evaluating vendors and not enough time validating the opportunity.

Avoid costly architecture, partner, and business model mistakes before committing.

Protect capital and leadership attention.

What should be true before you commit →

Stage 02

Building

"We've decided to move forward and need to structure it correctly."

Going live and creating value are not the same thing.

Most launch problems aren't technical. They're adoption, economics, and operating model problems.

Launch with economics that scale.

What creates value after launch? →

Stage 03

Optimizing

"We launched something but results aren't matching expectations."

The symptom you're seeing is rarely the first problem you need to solve.

Revenue, margin, and adoption problems usually appear long after the decision that created them.

Recover revenue, margin, and adoption.

Find the constraint behind the symptom →

Stage 04

Expanding

"We've proven something and need to determine how to grow it."

Growth exposes assumptions that early success can hide.

Ensure your architecture, economics, and operating model can support the next stage of growth.

Scale without rebuilding the foundation.

Can your platform support the next stage? →

The Pattern We Keep Seeing

We've Sat On The Other Side Of These Decisions

The advice we give is grounded in having been accountable for the outcomes — not in having studied them. These are the programs we built, operated, and scaled.

$350M

AP payments revenue

Operated at scale

$100B+

Payments platform built

Annual payment volume

$4B

Digital bank scaled

Built from $0 in under 12 months

2 Exits

Successful company exits

Strongroom Solutions → AvidXchange

Sean Graham

Operated a $350M AP payments business. Launched a digital bank from $0 to $1B. 25+ years across payments, banking, and embedded finance.

Justin Nelson

Co-founded Strongroom Solutions, acquired by AvidXchange. Grew product revenue from $3M to $30M ARR in under two years through payments program design.

Bronwyn Erasmus

Built operating models and execution frameworks at Tesla, eBay, and AvidXchange. Led organizations of 300+ people. $10M+ in delivered efficiency gains.

Meet the team →

Most Programs Don't Fail For The Reason Leaders Think

Most embedded finance programs don't fail because the opportunity was wrong. They fail because architecture, commercialization, and scale were never evaluated together — and by the time the gaps become visible, the decisions are expensive to reverse.

Sound familiar?

→ Processing significant payment volume but generating little or no revenue from it.

→ Launched a payments program — customers aren't adopting it at the rate the business case assumed.

→ Payment economics look acceptable — until you model what a direct bank relationship would actually generate.

→ Two years in and now facing a migration conversation nobody planned for at launch.

→ Vendor was selected before the program was designed — and the vendor's defaults became the program.

→ Operations are more complex and expensive than the original business case assumed.

The visible problem is rarely the first problem to solve.
Which is why the diagnostic has to start with the architecture — not the symptom.

Architecture

Can it scale without being rebuilt?

Program model, bank structure, economics design, and infrastructure — evaluated for where you're going, not just where you are.

Commercialization

Will customers actually use it?

Adoption drivers, revenue potential, monetization strategy, and the differentiated reason customers choose your program over doing nothing.

Scale

Can your organization sustain it?

Operational readiness, support model, compliance capacity, and whether the team can run what the program requires after launch — not just at launch.

Most advisors bring theory. Most vendors bring a pitch. We bring operator experience, pattern recognition, and enough scar tissue to understand the difference between a real opportunity and an expensive distraction.

About ExpandUp →

How It Works

From first conversation to a program that performs.

Every engagement starts with a diagnostic. We identify where the architecture gaps are before recommending any path forward.

01 · Diagnose

We find the constraint behind the symptom.

A diagnostic conversation focused on understanding where your program's architecture, economics, or execution may be creating constraints. Most clients know something isn't working. We help them understand specifically what — and why.

02 · Design

We design the program before the vendor conversation.

Program model, bank structure, compliance framework, economics architecture, and infrastructure stack — in that sequence. The design determines what your program can become. We get it right before build decisions make it expensive to change.

03 · Deliver

We stay through execution — not just advice.

Bank diligence preparation, compliance program build, vendor negotiation, go-live support, and economics optimization. Operator-led delivery from people who have been accountable for the outcome — not consultants who hand off when the hard work starts.

See the full architecture framework →

Start with the right architecture.

Every embedded finance program starts with an architecture decision. We help you make the right one — before the infrastructure locks you in.

Talk with us Explore the Architecture Framework

The defaults get you live. They don't get you profitable. They don't accelerate adoption.