Matt Pierce, Founder and CEO of Immediate, brings over 17 years of tech experience, transitioning from healthcare to the financial wellness sector. He shares his journey of creating on-demand pay solutions to combat financial stress from living paycheck to paycheck. Discussing the critical importance of customer feedback, Matt reveals how real client problems informed Immediate’s innovative approach. He also reflects on the challenges of building a cohesive team and scaling a tech company, underscoring the significance of self-awareness and company culture in entrepreneurship.
Matt Pierce's entrepreneurial journey began with the realization that high employee turnover was tied to financial stress, leading to the creation of Immediate.
The shift from a loan-like model to a flat convenience fee for on-demand pay underscores the importance of regulatory compliance in financial solutions.
Immediate prioritizes user feedback in its product development strategy, ensuring that solutions align closely with the genuine needs of employees and employers.
Deep dives
Rethinking Payment Structures
The initial concept for withdrawing earned wages involved charging a small percentage, which quickly started resembling a loan model. To avoid regulatory complications and negative public perception, a flat convenience fee was adopted instead, akin to ATM withdrawal fees. This shift in strategy highlighted the need for regulatory compliance when designing financial products. It ultimately aimed to create a more user-friendly experience while ensuring that users did not feel they were accumulating debt.
Identifying the Real Problem
Matt Pierce's journey began with a pitch for a healthcare scheduling system that faltered when a client revealed that the real issue was high employee turnover due to financial stress. This interaction revealed deep insights into the American workforce, with a staggering 78% living paycheck to paycheck, even among households with high incomes. These realities prompted Matt to explore solutions that focused on timely access to earned wages rather than merely increasing pay at typical intervals. His findings catalyzed the inception of Immediate, aiming to provide workers with a financial lifeline.
Building the Minimum Viable Product
The development of Immediate Pay, the company's first product, involved overcoming significant technical hurdles due to a lack of coding knowledge. Matt collaborated with mentors to navigate the legal compliance required before building the product, confirming a solid foundation for operations. The MVP ultimately launched after months of groundwork, and despite challenges with antiquated payroll systems, provided an essential tool for enabling on-demand access to earned wages. This initial success set the stage for future iterations and integrations that would enhance user experience.
User Feedback and Product Evolution
Feedback from users is prioritized in Immediate’s growth strategy, reflecting the company’s commitment to aligning their product roadmap with real customer needs. Regular surveys ensure that both employees and employers have a voice in shaping future features, fostering a collaborative approach to development. This feedback loop not only aids in validating ideas before implementation but also helps in identifying areas requiring improvement. Matt emphasizes the importance of this input to build a product that genuinely addresses the financial challenges faced by users.
Scalability and Future Prospects
Immediate was designed for rapid growth from the onset, aiming to capture a burgeoning market for on-demand pay solutions. By focusing on scalability through strategic planning, the team ensured the platform could support significant increases in user volume without sacrificing performance. As interest in the product escalates, so does confidence in its ability to positively impact financial well-being on a broader scale. Looking ahead, Matt envisions continued expansion and enhancement of services while remaining steadfast in their mission to support users across the country.
Matt Pierce has been a tech guy for his entire 17 year career. Coming out of grad school, he started out in healthcare tech for a decade or so. Eventually, he started down the path of being an entrepreneur. He is married with 3 daughters - 2 in third grade and one that is a 2 year old. He mentioned the entrepreneurial dilemma of picking 3 of the 5 life choices - family, business, sleep, exercise and friendships - and notes that his three are family, business, and sleep.
After spending nights and weekends burning the midnight oil on a healthcare tech solution, Matt sat down with a prospective client and did the best pitch ever. The client's feedback was that it didn't solve her real problem which was turnover, which boiled down to money. After chatting with the client and a mentor, Matt uncovered the best potential solution to financial stress - on demand pay.