TrialPay

About TrialPay

Founded in April 2006 by Alex Rampell, Terry Angelos, and Eddie Lim, TrialPay operated a payment and marketing platform that created a novel value exchange between consumers, merchants, and advertisers. The company's inception was notably swift, driven by the need to secure a visa for co-founder Terry Angelos. Rampell, a serial entrepreneur with a background in computer science and a history of creating software since age 10, conceived of the initial idea for offer-based payments. This concept evolved into TrialPay's core business model, where consumers could receive a product or service for free by trying or buying another item from one of TrialPay's advertising partners.

This "Get It Free" model functioned by having an advertiser pay the merchant for the consumer's initial item in exchange for acquiring that consumer as a new customer. The platform was designed to convert browsing shoppers into buyers, benefiting all parties involved. The company initially focused on the downloadable software and shareware market before pivoting to social gaming on platforms like Facebook, and later, to mobile. This adaptability was crucial as the digital ecosystem rapidly changed. TrialPay's offerings were split into two main solutions: Monetization and Acquisition. Monetization solutions included tools like offer walls and action-based rewards, while Acquisition solutions used formats like HD videos for apps and in-app product placements.

The company's primary clients were e-commerce merchants across various sectors, including software, social applications, casual games, and online services. Revenue was generated by taking a commission from the transactions facilitated through its platform, essentially creating a pay-for-performance advertising model. Over its lifetime, TrialPay raised significant capital, including a $40 million Series C round in 2012 with participation from Visa. In February 2015, Visa announced its acquisition of TrialPay, integrating its technology to bolster Visa's loyalty and offers platform, connecting online behaviors with in-store purchasing data. At the time of the acquisition, the Mountain View-based company had approximately 60 employees and its platform had reached over 500 million users across 180 countries.