A tech company that quietly planted roots in Plano last year is looking to grow and is adding to its C-suite lineup.
Looking to help stadiums and event venues find cashless payment solutions, U.K.-based Tappit has opened a U.S. headquarters in the city and has tapped Jonathan Simkins as its new chief financial officer.
“Our focus this year is on accommodating the rapid growth we are experiencing,” Simkins said via email. “We’re looking forward to meeting that demand and helping sports and entertainment organizations take the fan experience to the next level.”
Simkins most recently held the CFO and president role at cybersecurity firm Appgate, leading Cyxtera Technologies’ spin-out from the company. He will be based out of Denver in his new role with Tappit.
The company, launched in 2018, provides contactless payment solutions to sports and entertainment venues. Software agnostic, Tappit’s technology allows customers to pay entry fees and food with RFID chips or mobile solutions. The data collected can then be used by the venues for further fan engagement.
“The data component of our solution has proven incredibly compelling for businesses, because… they can gain a true view of every consumer’s spending preferences and habits — this is the type of data previously only held by banks,” Simkins said.
Tappit first set up its U.S. headquarters in North Texas last July. While some of the company’s leadership team, like Chief Revenue Officer Meka White-Morris, is based in DFW, much around 20-person U.S. team is working remotely across the country. Tappit still maintains its international H.Q. in Leeds, U.K., and has a total of about 50 employees.
The company also lists five open positions for its DFW offices on LinkedIn, including a V.P. of sales role.
“Due to the pandemic, we’ve taken more of a decentralized approach for our U.S. headquarters,” White-Morris said via email. “Although, much like with our new CFO, we are open to discussing location with employees to ensure they can provide clients with the support they need.”
White-Morris said Tappit’s move to the region was partly spurred by other recent big-name tech relocations like Tesla and Oracle. She also cited other commonly listed reasons like a central geographic location, a large talent pool and the cost of doing business in the area.
The company is seeing increased interest in its technology as large in-person gatherings continue to come online. Its presence in the U.S. has been growing with several new partnerships. In addition to partnerships with event organizers like Live Nation and international sports organizations like Formula 1, Tappit has recently partnered with U.S. organizations like the San Antonio Spurs, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the San Diego Padres.
“Since our launch… we’ve seen the demand for cashless and touchless payments increase, and the pandemic has accelerated that demand exponentially,” Simkins said.
