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vertical opportunities
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i2c Inc.
A Single Code to Rule Them All
An interview with Amir Wain
From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, i2c Inc. sits in the center of
a payments boom. Investment money is pouring into startups promising disruption, but i2c founder and CEO Amir Wain knows that payments
is a long game. At the helm of a startup he formed in 2001 and that now operates in all 24 time zones, Wain also knows about staying power. He spoke with Paybefore about what it means to be global,
how to stay relevant and why a single line of code keeps his business from becoming a commodity.
processor spotlight
paybefore: Payments is global. Did you build i2c with a global focus from the start?
Amir Wain: Absolutely. It’s reflected in the technology as well as the service delivery and the approach. If you want to be global, you really need to structure your- self with that in mind.
We’re the only processor running a single source code globally. Many global providers have multiple platforms. So, if a client wants a global product, it has to be inte- grated with 15 different platforms. Requiring multiple integrations adds complexity to product rollouts or enhancements. For us, it’s a single source code—a single integration point no matter where you are. That has given us the ability to scale and create a sustainable global model. We’ve built a million-piece Lego set. If you create a new use case, we’ll go build that Lego piece. Once we do, it can be used anywhere.
paybefore: Does scale export?
AW: No, the benefits of scale you get in the U.S., for example, don’t
necessarily transfer internationally. In most markets a processor has to build out local infrastructure— set up datacenters and deal with regulations that sometimes require a localized version of the plat- form source code. There’s no
scale in terms of operational or cost efficiency operating like this.
By contrast, our single global platform runs off the same hard- ware and software stack. Because we use a virtual approach, our SaaS model leverages a cloud- based computing architecture that enables us to add capacity, such
as more servers, or operationally manage a local instance—all off the same platform. In China it only took us 90 days to set up a data- center at around $1 million, com- pared to legacy platforms that require large mainframes and many millions of dollars.
paybefore: Speed to market is something you tout. How do you deliver, particularly as
you expand?
AW: It’s important to understand brain versus brawn. Brawn doesn’t
AMIR WAIN
get you speed. And there’s a big myth that you gain speed at the expense of quality. It comes down to design. The only way to increase speed and improve quality is by