Most SaaS platforms have spent the last few years adding payments. But payments alone are no longer the breakthrough.

They are the baseline.

In this episode of Breakthrough SaaS Growth, we speak with Patrick O’Donnell, Global Commercial Director for Payments and Embedded Finance at Phorest Salon Software, about what comes next for vertical SaaS platforms.

Pat has spent 25 years in payments across Citi, Mastercard and dLocal. He is now building payment and financial capabilities inside a vertical SaaS business, giving him a practical view of where embedded finance creates real customer value.

We explore why payments have become table stakes, what financial friction customers still face and how vertical SaaS companies can use data, trust and customer context to create better financial experiences.

We discuss:

• Why payments are now expected, not differentiating
• Where embedded finance creates value beyond monetisation
• How vertical SaaS platforms can reduce financial friction for customers
• Why customer trust matters when adding financial products
• How data can unlock better customer experiences
• What customers should be able to do tomorrow that they cannot do today

This is a practical conversation for SaaS CEOs, CROs, CCOs, product leaders and payments teams thinking about embedded finance, customer value and the next stage of SaaS growth.

Connect with Pat on LinkedIn