Who Are the Largest FinTech companies in the Bay Area?
With a long history as a cultural Mecca for innovators, risk-takers, and those otherwise not afraid to color outside of the conventional lines, it should come as no surprise that the San Francisco Bay area is a considered a global FinTech hub, consistently not only making billing on various “Top-5” style lists of major financial centers. From emerging startups to deep-rooted industry giants, there are at least 300 FinTech companies currently operating in the Bay Area. Not only do these companies provide plenty of good jobs, but they also bring in people from all over the world for conferences and meetings, contributing substantially to the Bay Area’s already robust tourism economy.
Following are just five of the many major FinTech companies that call California home. These are all established companies, and who knows which San Francisco startups waiting in the wings will take their places on this list in the future.
PayPal
Situated in the heart of Silicon Valley in San Jose, CA, with 14 satellite offices throughout the U.S., PayPal is an online payment platform that individuals and businesses can use to send and receive money online in a secure environment. The company was founded in 1998 by Peter Thiel and Max Levchin, who saw a need for a safe, third-party payment system specifically for e-commerce. They called their company Confinity, and it wasn’t until their second year that they decided to change the name to PayPal to better reflect the company’s primary focus on online payments. PayPal grew quickly and was purchased by online retail giant eBay in the year 2002. In 2014, PayPal shareholders voted to split from eBay and become a publicly-traded company.
Visa, Inc.
Visa was founded in 1958 by Bank of America. Located in Foster City, CA, the company has offices all across the globe. First known as BankAmereicard, the company rebranded itself as Visa in 1976 and quickly grew into a household name. Visa currently facilitates digital transactions in over 200 countries and territories and if one of the major forces fueling the economy. It is estimated that there are currently 3.6 billion Visa cards in global circulation at this time.
Intuit, Inc.
Palo Alto residents Scott Cook and Tom Proulx in 1983. The company has modest roots as a startup in a small room. At this time, the dot.com rush was in its emerging stages, and the company had fierce competition on all sides. Today, Intuit is the biggest SaaS company in the world, with a product list that includes Turbo Tax, Credit Karma, and Mailchimp.
Block, Inc.
Unlike the preceding companies, Block, Inc., has its roots firmly in the 21st century. Founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelve after McKelve as a way to provide business solutions for those unable to accept credit cards, the company was called Square until last year. Besides its flagship product, which is still called Square, Block’s product list includes Weebly,Afterpay, and TIDAL, a Norwegian music-streaming service.
Stripe, Inc.
Another 21st century startup that made it into the big leagues during the past decade, Stripe was founded in 2010 in Palo Alto by Rish brothers John and Patrick Collison as a payment processing solution for mobile and e-commerce retailers. Stripe is currently located in South San Francisco.
FinTech Conference Venues in the Bay Area
The Bay Area’s abundant natural beauty, favorable climate, and unique food and beverage traditions combine with San Francisco’s status as the planet’s leading financial nerve center to create the ideal location for industry conferences. Please contact us today to learn more about holding your event at the South San Francisco Conference Center.