tempo

Strategic Roadmap Report

Founder-led execution scaling through staged investment to profitable scale

R 01 / 18
roadmap From 17 platforms and 40,000 workers today to the instant-pay layer for over a million workers by 2031
To dateFounding to 2026Build and prove
17 platforms integrated and live in production~40,000 active workers on Tempo$210M in wages accessed to dateDefault rate under 0.4% at payday50-state money-transmitter licences secured
Phase 12027Prove
Grow from 17 to 100 platformsReach ~120,000 active workersShip Tempo Card betaLand first national platformReach $1.2M revenue on the $10M raise
Phase 2-32028 to 2031Scale and platform
Scale to 600,000 workers by 2029Launch savings and financial wellnessEnter the United Kingdom marketReach 1M+ workers and Canada by 2031EBITDA positive at $64M revenue
Seed, $3M
Series A, $10M
Series B, $30M
R 02 / 18
past phase - traction to date $210M in wages accessed across 17 platforms
With $10M we reach 100 platforms and 120,000 workers by year-end
Q1
  • Ship Tempo Card beta to first platforms
  • Hire VP Partnerships and two integration engineers
  • Sign 15 new platforms, cross 50 total
Q2
  • Launch employer-funded instant-pay option
  • Build risk and compliance pod, five hires
  • Reach 65 platforms and 70,000 active workers
Q3
  • Real-time settlement on FedNow and RTP live
  • Add enterprise sales lead for national platforms
  • Land first national platform partner
Q4
  • Tempo Card general availability across platforms
  • Grow team to 45, open risk-capital function
  • Hit 100 platforms, 120,000 workers, $1.2M revenue
R 03 / 18
near-term phase - next 12 months Growth Milestones
Q1 2027Tempo Card beta live on first platforms
Q2 2027Cross 65 platforms, 70,000 active workers
Q3 2027Land first national platform partner
Q4 2027Reach 100 platforms, 120,000 workers
H1 2028Scale to 300,000 workers, launch savings
R 04 / 18
long-term phase - 1-3 years Key Milestones
Mar 2026Founded in New York; first platform integrated
Dec 202617 platforms live, $210M wages accessed
Q4 2027100 platforms, 120,000 active workers
2029600,000 workers, UK launch, $30M Series B
R 05 / 18
Strategic Analysis SWOT Analysis
External Internal
Helpful Harmful
Strengths

50-state licences, own funding engine, embedded in the platform, revenue-share lock-in

Weaknesses

Early stage, capital-intensive float, US-only today, brand unknown to platforms

Opportunities

$100B pay gap, favourable EWA regulation, FedNow rails, UK and Canada entry

Threats

Well-funded EWA incumbents, regulatory shifts, platforms building in-house, funding-cost swings

R 06 / 18
Competitive Analysis Porter's Five Forces
Threat of New Entrants

Low. 50-state licensing and a funding engine take years and capital to replicate

Supplier Power

Moderate. Banking and float partners hold leverage; multiple relationships reduce it

Competitive Rivalry

High. DTC apps and employer EWA compete, but few are embedded infrastructure

Buyer Power

Moderate. Platforms have options, but revenue-share and retention lift keep them

Threat of Substitutes

Low. Payday loans and overdraft are the alternatives Tempo replaces

R 07 / 18
Market Analysis PESTEL Analysis
Political

States are formally separating earned-wage access from lending, easing the path

Economic

Hourly workers live paycheck to paycheck; instant pay demand rises in tight labour markets

Social

Workers expect pay to move at the speed of work; instant pay drives retention

Technological

FedNow and RTP make real-time settlement cheap and ubiquitous

Environmental

Low direct exposure; digital pay reduces cash handling and paper cheques

Legal

Money-transmitter, KYC and AML rules are the barrier Tempo already clears

R 08 / 18
Business Model Business Model Canvas
Key Partners

Sponsor banks, card networks, WFM and payroll processors, workforce platforms

Key Activities

Real-time ledger, risk pricing, float funding, compliance, platform integrations

Value Proposition

Instant, earned pay platforms turn on in weeks and earn from

Customer Relationships

API partnership, revenue-share, dedicated integration and account teams

Customer Segments

Mid-market and enterprise workforce platforms; their hourly workers

Key Resources

50-state licences, funding capital, the risk engine, engineering talent

Channels

Direct sales, WFM and payroll partners, reference-led enterprise

Cost Structure

Processing, fraud, compliance, float cost, engineering, sales

Revenue Streams

$4.50 instant-pay and interchange plus $2.00 platform fee per worker

R 09 / 18
Business Model Lean Canvas
Problem

Hourly workers wait two weeks for earned pay; platforms cannot build instant pay

Solution

One API for instant, earned pay held, funded and licensed by Tempo

Unique Value Prop

Instant pay, built in, not bolted on

Unfair Advantage

50-state licences and a proprietary risk and funding engine

Customer Segments

Workforce platforms in staffing, delivery and gig; hourly workers

Key Metrics

Active workers, wages accessed, ARPU, default rate, platforms live

Channels

Direct sales, payroll and WFM partners, reference-led enterprise

Cost Structure

Processing, fraud, compliance, float, engineering, go-to-market

Revenue Streams

Per-worker instant-pay, interchange and platform fees

R 10 / 18
Strategic Analysis Value Chain Analysis Support Activities
Firm Infrastructure

Licensing, compliance and finance run instant money movement at scale

Human Resources

Fintech operators from Stripe, Marqeta, Gusto and Cross River Bank

Technology

Real-time ledger, risk engine, card issuing, instant settlement rails

Procurement

Sponsor banking, card networks, float capital, cloud infrastructure

Primary Activities
Inbound

Platform earnings data flows in real time as shifts complete

Operations

Accrue earned wages, price risk, fund advances, settle at payday

Outbound

Instant pay rendered natively inside each platform's own app

Marketing & Sales

Direct sales, partner-led distribution, reference-led enterprise

Service

Integration support, account management, compliance and dispute handling

R 11 / 18
Competitive Landscape Competitive Positioning Matrix
High Quality / Low Price

Tempo. Embedded, fully licensed, low flat fee, revenue-share to platforms

High Quality / High Price

Build in-house. Full control but 2+ years and millions to build

Low Quality / Low Price

DTC EWA apps. Cheap to start, no platform value, separate login

Low Quality / High Price

Payday loans and overdraft. Predatory cost, no platform benefit

R 12 / 18
Customer Insight Jobs-to-be-Done
Functional Jobs

Pay workers the moment they earn, without building payroll or licences

Emotional Jobs

Feel in control of money; avoid the stress of the two-week gap

Social Jobs

Be an employer of choice workers recommend for fast, fair pay

Pains

Payday loans, overdraft fees, worker churn, compliance risk, build cost

Gains

Higher retention, new revenue share, faster fill rates, happier workers

Current Solutions

Payday loans, overdraft, DTC apps, or building in-house

R 13 / 18
Business Model Unit Economics
CAC

$28,000 blended cost to acquire a platform

LTV

$84,000 gross-margin value per platform over three years

LTV / CAC Ratio

3.0:1

Payback Period

Under 9 months

Gross Margin

61% today, rising to 75% at scale

Churn Rate

Under 5% annual platform churn; revenue-share lock-in

R 14 / 18
Strategic Analysis Ansoff Matrix
New Markets Existing Markets
Existing Products New Products
Market Penetration

Grow workers per platform; lift instant-pay adoption 55% to 90%

Product Development

Add Tempo Card, savings, wellness and credit-building

Market Development

Enter the United Kingdom, then Canada

Diversification

Become the financial operating system for hourly workers

R 15 / 18
Strategic Analysis VRIO Framework
Criterion Assessment
Valuable 50-state licences and instant pay drive platform retention and revenue
Rare Few hold full licences, a funding engine and embedded distribution together
Inimitable Licences and risk data take years and capital to replicate
Organized Team and infrastructure built to run regulated money movement at scale
R 16 / 18
Risk Analysis Risk Matrix
Low Impact High Impact
Low Likelihood High Likelihood
Monitor

Regulatory reversal on earned-wage access. Monitor and engage regulators

Mitigate

Rising float or funding costs. Diversify capital and adjust pricing

Accept

Minor integration downtime. Resolve through redundancy

Manage

Platform onboarding delays. Manage with automated integration tooling

R 17 / 18
Roadmap Summary From 17 platforms today to the pay layer for a million workers
Milestones Achieved 17 platforms, 40,000 workers, $210M wages accessed
Next Milestone 100 platforms and 120,000 active workers in 2027
Funding Needed $10M Series A now; $30M Series B in 2029
What's Next Tempo Card GA, savings and wellness, first national platform
R 18 / 18