PayPal co-founder, Facebook billionaire and general Silicon Valley demigod Peter Thiel gave an interview to CapLinked, a company he invested in.
He talks about the college bubble and his history but the thing that's most striking is the fact that he said that if he had known everything he now knows about the payments industry before starting PayPal, he would never have tried to do it, because of how many difficulties there are in the space.
Thiel co-founded PayPal, took it public and then sold it for $1.5 billion to eBay.
It's a nice testament to the power of innovators just doing something they believe in and trying to figure it out from there. All of the experts would have predicted PayPal to be a failure, and they would have been "right" on paper.
He also talks about his decision to become the first outside investor in Facebook. The two things that stuck out for him about Facebook were: a) the fact that this was the first site where people logged in with their real identities, and so it had the potential to be an identity layer for the web, and b) the scale of Mark Zuckerberg's vision. That's what got him to invest.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
ViVOtech Ships EMV Payments and NFC mCommerce-Ready Reader
ViVOpay 8100 Designed to Meet Visa Technology Innovation Program; Potential Savings to Merchants of $2 Billion Annually by Eliminating PCI-DSS Validation Costs
SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwire - Aug 17, 2011) - ViVOtech, the near field communication (NFC) software and systems company, today announced the immediate availability of a new point of sale (POS) terminal for payments and NFC mobile commerce that could save eligible merchants more than $2 billion a year in annual Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) validation costs under a Visa Inc. initiative.
ViVOtech's new ViVOpay 8100 terminals accept traditional swipe cards with magnetic stripes, chip cards, contactless cards, and NFC-enabled mobile phones, as required by the Visa initiative announced last week to accelerate the migration to Eurocard-MasterCard-Visa (EMV) contact and contactless chip technology in the United States.
To motivate merchants, Visa announced on August 9, 2011: "Effective October 1, 2012, Visa will expand its Technology Innovation Program (TIP) to the U.S. TIP will eliminate the requirement for eligible merchants to annually validate their compliance with the PCI Data Security Standard for any year in which at least 75 percent of the merchant's Visa transactions originate from chip-enabled terminals. To qualify, terminals must be enabled to support both contact and contactless chip acceptance, including mobile contactless payments based on NFC technology."
The industry association Smart Card Alliance estimates annual PCI-DSS fraud-protection validations cost businesses more than $2 billion a year.
"Viva Visa!" said Michael (Mick) Mullagh, CEO of ViVOtech, which has shipped more than 850,000 contactless and NFC readers worldwide. "It's about time the U.S. joins the rest of the world, which has been using highly secure contact and contactless chip technology for nearly a decade. We applaud Visa's efforts to advance adoption here. And, we have the affordable technology available today in the new ViVOpay 8100 for merchants to take advantage of Visa's incentives while benefiting from rich NFC mobile commerce."
Much More than EMV-Ready
The new ViVOpay 8100 includes ViVOtech NFC checkout technology that enables merchants to accept and process coupons, personalized offers, loyalty programs and payments through the merchant's proprietary mobile applications.
With the ViVOpay 8100, consumers just insert, swipe or tap their payment cards, or tap their NFC mobile phones to pay or electronically redeem a coupon or discount voucher. The device also accepts Personal Identification Number (PIN) entry for secure debit transactions. Combined with ViVOtech's mLoyalty, coupons, and social networking software, the ViVOpay 8100 allows merchants to deliver personalized services to customers' NFC-enabled mobile phones.
The ViVOpay 8100 works with the most popular payment terminals and electronic cash register (ECR) systems used by merchants today, adding powerful new capabilities that include:
About ViVOtech
ViVOtech, the near field communication (NFC) software and systems company, enables rich mobile commerce solutions for in-store payment, loyalty, marketing, and merchandising. Merchant, payment, mobile, web and advertising companies use ViVOtech solutions to enhance customer experience and grow their business. ViVOtech's NFC software and systems are the broadest, most tested and deployed worldwide. Founded in 2001, Silicon Valley-based ViVOtech provides the key building blocks of the NFC ecosystem: smart applications for enhancing the customer experience, wallet and trusted service manager (TSM) software, and point of sale systems. ViVOtech's investors include Alloy Ventures, Citi Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, DFJ Gotham, EDBI, First Data Corporation, Miven Ventures, Motorola Mobility, Motorola Solutions, Nokia Growth Partners, NCR, SingTel Innov8 and Sprint. Join the NFC revolution at http://www.ViVOtech.com.
ViVOtech's new ViVOpay 8100 terminals accept traditional swipe cards with magnetic stripes, chip cards, contactless cards, and NFC-enabled mobile phones, as required by the Visa initiative announced last week to accelerate the migration to Eurocard-MasterCard-Visa (EMV) contact and contactless chip technology in the United States.
To motivate merchants, Visa announced on August 9, 2011: "Effective October 1, 2012, Visa will expand its Technology Innovation Program (TIP) to the U.S. TIP will eliminate the requirement for eligible merchants to annually validate their compliance with the PCI Data Security Standard for any year in which at least 75 percent of the merchant's Visa transactions originate from chip-enabled terminals. To qualify, terminals must be enabled to support both contact and contactless chip acceptance, including mobile contactless payments based on NFC technology."
The industry association Smart Card Alliance estimates annual PCI-DSS fraud-protection validations cost businesses more than $2 billion a year.
"Viva Visa!" said Michael (Mick) Mullagh, CEO of ViVOtech, which has shipped more than 850,000 contactless and NFC readers worldwide. "It's about time the U.S. joins the rest of the world, which has been using highly secure contact and contactless chip technology for nearly a decade. We applaud Visa's efforts to advance adoption here. And, we have the affordable technology available today in the new ViVOpay 8100 for merchants to take advantage of Visa's incentives while benefiting from rich NFC mobile commerce."
Much More than EMV-Ready
The new ViVOpay 8100 includes ViVOtech NFC checkout technology that enables merchants to accept and process coupons, personalized offers, loyalty programs and payments through the merchant's proprietary mobile applications.
With the ViVOpay 8100, consumers just insert, swipe or tap their payment cards, or tap their NFC mobile phones to pay or electronically redeem a coupon or discount voucher. The device also accepts Personal Identification Number (PIN) entry for secure debit transactions. Combined with ViVOtech's mLoyalty, coupons, and social networking software, the ViVOpay 8100 allows merchants to deliver personalized services to customers' NFC-enabled mobile phones.
The ViVOpay 8100 works with the most popular payment terminals and electronic cash register (ECR) systems used by merchants today, adding powerful new capabilities that include:
- PCI 2.1 certification: Highly secure PIN pad provides protection from obsolescence beyond 2014.
- Integrated mobile payments and promotions module: Built-in support for NFC mobile payments, marketing and loyalty programs.
- Support for multiple transactions: Enables Chip-and-PIN and signature-based credit and debit transactions using mag-stripe, contactless and NFC mobile phones.
- ISO 14443 contactless and ISO 18092 peer-to-peer NFC, and MiFare Technologies.
- Remote download: Post-deployment firmware updates via remote download eliminate the need for additional hardware or device resetting.
- Customer-friendly keypad: Compliant with standards for the visually disabled, with a recessed keyboard providing maximum privacy.
- Advanced connectivity: Ethernet connectivity along with serial and USB communication support for multiple connectivity options to work with a versatile set of mobile-enabled applications.
About ViVOtech
ViVOtech, the near field communication (NFC) software and systems company, enables rich mobile commerce solutions for in-store payment, loyalty, marketing, and merchandising. Merchant, payment, mobile, web and advertising companies use ViVOtech solutions to enhance customer experience and grow their business. ViVOtech's NFC software and systems are the broadest, most tested and deployed worldwide. Founded in 2001, Silicon Valley-based ViVOtech provides the key building blocks of the NFC ecosystem: smart applications for enhancing the customer experience, wallet and trusted service manager (TSM) software, and point of sale systems. ViVOtech's investors include Alloy Ventures, Citi Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, DFJ Gotham, EDBI, First Data Corporation, Miven Ventures, Motorola Mobility, Motorola Solutions, Nokia Growth Partners, NCR, SingTel Innov8 and Sprint. Join the NFC revolution at http://www.ViVOtech.com.
Monday, August 15, 2011
ALTO GLOBAL PROCESSING: ABOUT
(AGP) Alto Global Processing is a 'turn key' and full service payment processing solutions company. Our team specializes in payment gateway services and the issuing and/or reselling of private merchant accounts for 'high' risk clientele.
The most valuable asset of our team is founded on the versatility of our team members. Our management team was strategically selected and premised on areas of expertise. In turn, AGP has collectively created an operational team that has decades of combined experience in the technical, banking and merchant space.
AGP is cognizant of the ever changing regulations of the payment processing sector in reference to where their merchant's compete on a daily basis. So, we truly understand and empathize with the challenges a typical merchant is consistently faced with. More specifically, we have the ability to customize payment processing solutions that are not only 'turn key' but address the pressing needs of our clients:
• Increase Profitability for the Merchant: Increase overall revenue and
Decrease overall expenditures for the merchant.
• Provide payment services that allows the Merchant to do what they do best
• Reduce Risk by Calculative Decision Making
• Transparency in Managing Merchant Finances
• Deliver: 'Do What You Say You Are Going to Do'
• Quality Assurance. Innovation. Customer Service.
The most valuable asset of our team is founded on the versatility of our team members. Our management team was strategically selected and premised on areas of expertise. In turn, AGP has collectively created an operational team that has decades of combined experience in the technical, banking and merchant space.
AGP is cognizant of the ever changing regulations of the payment processing sector in reference to where their merchant's compete on a daily basis. So, we truly understand and empathize with the challenges a typical merchant is consistently faced with. More specifically, we have the ability to customize payment processing solutions that are not only 'turn key' but address the pressing needs of our clients:
• Increase Profitability for the Merchant: Increase overall revenue and
Decrease overall expenditures for the merchant.
• Provide payment services that allows the Merchant to do what they do best
• Reduce Risk by Calculative Decision Making
• Transparency in Managing Merchant Finances
• Deliver: 'Do What You Say You Are Going to Do'
• Quality Assurance. Innovation. Customer Service.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Sharing Wealth: Value of Deep Linking By Stephen Yagielowicz
One of the most basic and yet most valuable techniques for building website traffic is the use of well targeted contextual deep linking.
In its most effective terms, this process involves crafting keyword-focused text links, pointing to internal or external pages that are optimized for that link text — for example, echoing the deep link on the page’s title, Meta and <h1> tags, and in the page body text.
Contrast this approach to a generic link to the site’s home or other page.
Effective deep linking is a proven method of reducing bounce rates, as visitors find the specific material they are seeking, rather than landing on a generic home, landing or splash page. Bounce rates measure the percentage of visitors that only view one page of your site, “bouncing” off of it — which the search engines interpret as “the surfer did not find what he wanted.” When that is the case, the relevance of the link is questionable, which is not what search engines want to offer — so that link is devalued in the listings.
If deep links are so good, then why don’t more webmasters use them?
The short answer is because they’re a lot of work to properly implement — especially when it is two or more sites belonging to different owners that are being linked together — due to the specific anchor text requirements and their ability to blend with surrounding page content — on what could be a website focusing on a totally unrelated topic. Email chains devoted to these exchanges alone may use up a considerable amount of your time.
With carefully chosen link partners, however, the value of deep linking far outweighs the difficulty of establishing a proper linking structure; and when crafting internal links between pages on your own site, deep links are the way to go. Try it for yourself and see.
In its most effective terms, this process involves crafting keyword-focused text links, pointing to internal or external pages that are optimized for that link text — for example, echoing the deep link on the page’s title, Meta and <h1> tags, and in the page body text.
Contrast this approach to a generic link to the site’s home or other page.
Effective deep linking is a proven method of reducing bounce rates, as visitors find the specific material they are seeking, rather than landing on a generic home, landing or splash page. Bounce rates measure the percentage of visitors that only view one page of your site, “bouncing” off of it — which the search engines interpret as “the surfer did not find what he wanted.” When that is the case, the relevance of the link is questionable, which is not what search engines want to offer — so that link is devalued in the listings.
If deep links are so good, then why don’t more webmasters use them?
The short answer is because they’re a lot of work to properly implement — especially when it is two or more sites belonging to different owners that are being linked together — due to the specific anchor text requirements and their ability to blend with surrounding page content — on what could be a website focusing on a totally unrelated topic. Email chains devoted to these exchanges alone may use up a considerable amount of your time.
With carefully chosen link partners, however, the value of deep linking far outweighs the difficulty of establishing a proper linking structure; and when crafting internal links between pages on your own site, deep links are the way to go. Try it for yourself and see.
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