Tippy
Tippy is a US-based SaaS and fintech platform that digitizes tipping for salons, spas, pet groomers, fitness studios, and auto shops, providing instant tip payouts to service professionals via digital wallet and POS-integrated kiosks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersFort Lauderdale, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Tippy does
Tippy (legal entity DirectTIPS Operations, LLC) is a US-based, privately held SaaS and fintech platform that digitizes the tipping process for service businesses and their frontline workers. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the company operates across salons and spas, pet grooming, fitness studios, and auto repair shops — verticals where client tips form a meaningful share of staff compensation. Its core proposition is to eliminate credit card processing fees on tips for business owners while delivering instant tip disbursements to service professionals via a Branch-powered digital wallet.
The product surface comprises three solutions: a Stand-Alone Tipping Kiosk (10.2" iPad with an EMV card reader preloaded with the Tippy Pro Mobile Application), TippyGO (QR code, link, and NFC-based on-the-go tipping), and POS-integrated deployments with providers including Meevo, Envision Cloud, Rosy, and Aura. Underlying infrastructure combines Tippy's proprietary mobile app with payment processing rails (Adyen, Square, Plaid), digital wallet disbursement (Branch via Evolve Bank & Trust), and card-network participation in the Mastercard Start Path program. The platform also handles tip reporting for tax compliance.
Tippy monetizes through monthly/annual subscriptions to business owners and per-transaction fees (2.75% + $0.60 for card-present; 3.5% + $0.60 for card-not-present) paid by the tipper rather than the business or service professional, with an administrative fee up to $100 monthly for unlinked wallet accounts after 60 days of inactivity. Distribution is primarily indirect through POS and industry marketing partners (L'Oréal Professionnel, SalonCentric, PBA), complemented by a self-serve sign-up flow, demo-led sales, and an October 2024 referral program. The company has raised approximately $3.84M across three funding rounds between 2018 and 2020, with no subsequent institutional rounds disclosed.
Tippy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tippy
- Legal name
- DirectTIPS Operations, LLC
- Website
- https://meettippy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tippy is a US-based SaaS and fintech platform that digitizes tipping for salons, spas, pet groomers, fitness studios, and auto shops, providing instant tip payouts to service professionals via digital wallet and POS-integrated kiosks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tippy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Tipping Software
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator Monetization & Tipping Platforms (MPACABAE)
Keywords
Where Tippy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fort Lauderdale
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tippy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Fees: Monthly or annual subscription fees charged to business owners for access to Tippy enterprise services. Referrals can receive 50% off first annual subscription.
- Transaction Fees (Card Present): 2.75% of transaction amount plus $0.60 or $0.50 per card-present transaction. Fee paid by customer, not business owner or service professional.
- Transaction Fees (Card Not Present): 3.5% of transaction amount plus $0.60 per card-not-present transaction.
- Administrative Fees: Monthly administrative fee up to $100 for service professionals who fail to maintain linked bank accounts for tip disbursement after 60 days of no tips received.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscription-based pricing for business owners |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Card Present Transaction Fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Card Not Present Transaction Fee |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Tippy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tippy is a cloud-based digital tipping SaaS platform that enables service-industry businesses (salons, spas, pet groomers, fitness studios, auto shops) to accept, process, and disburse credit card tips via a countertop tipping kiosk, QR/NFC mobile tipping (TippyGO), or integrated POS checkout. The platform eliminates credit card processing fees on tips for the business owner and delivers instant tip payouts to service professionals through a Branch-powered digital wallet.
Product overview
Tippy is a digital tipping platform for service industries (salons, spas, groomers, fitness, auto shops) that offers three main solutions: Stand-Alone Tipping Kiosk (countertop card reader), TippyGO (QR/NFC mobile tipping), and POS Integrations (integrated checkout experience). The platform operates through the Tippy Pro Mobile Application and Enterprise Services platform, with instant tip disbursement via Branch digital wallet integration. Service professionals receive tips immediately with full transparency on tip allocation, while business owners save on credit card processing fees.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TippyGO: QR code, Link & NFC Technology Tipping solution for on-the-go tipping using unique QR codes, links and NFC technology.
- Tippy Pro Mobile Application
Products and services
- Stand-Alone Tipping Kiosk Countertop tipping kiosk for salons, spas, groomers, fitness studios, and auto shops that allows clients to tip service professionals at checkout using card payments. Includes a 10.2-inch iPad pre-loaded with the Tippy Pro Mobile Application, an EMV card reader, dynamic tip suggestions, and tip-splitting and reporting capabilities. Hardware is provided with the subscription at no initial cost.
- TippyGO (QR code, link & NFC mobile tipping) Mobile-first tipping solution that lets clients tip service professionals via unique QR codes, shareable links, or NFC taps, without requiring a physical kiosk. Enables service professionals to receive tips instantly to their digital wallet and to see who tipped them and how much.
- POS Integrations POS-integrated tipping solution that provides an all-in-one checkout experience for service businesses, including single-swipe transactions and integrated data flows with the business's existing Point of Sale system. Available through integrations with Square, Meevo, Envision Cloud, Rosy, Aura, STX Software, Vish, and Salon Ultimate.
- Tippy Enterprise Services (cloud SaaS platform) Subscription-based cloud SaaS platform for service businesses that facilitates payment, tracking, and management of tips, including tip pooling, employee/staff management, and reporting. Underlies the Stand-Alone Kiosk, TippyGO, and POS Integration offerings and is governed by the Tippy Enterprise Service Agreement.
Quantifiable outcome
- 20% average increase in tips for service professionals
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Tippy
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tippy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability1 record
Feature6 records
Tippy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
23 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.
- Branch (Branch Messenger, Inc.)coreBranch provides digital wallet functionality for Tippy, enabling instant tip disbursements to service professionals. Funds are held by Branch's financial institution partners. The partnership allows Tippy to offer real-time tip access, free debit cards with rewards, and unlimited ACH transfers.
- SquarecoreSquare provides payment processing infrastructure for Tippy's tipping solutions. Integrated Square readers enable EMV, tap, and swipe payments for tip transactions.
- AdyencoreAdyen is a global financial technology platform providing payment processing that directly connects to Visa, Mastercard, and other payment methods for Tippy's transaction processing.
- MeevokeyMeevo is a cloud-based business management solution for beauty and wellness industries. Partnership enables integrated tipping within Meevo's salon management platform.
- Envision CloudkeyEnvision Cloud provides salon management software. Partnership allows Tippy to be offered as an integrated tipping solution within their platform.
- Rosy (Salon Software)keyRosy offers salon scheduling software with appointment management features. Partnership enables integrated tipping functionality for Rosy customers.
- Aura (Salon Software)keyAura provides all-in-one salon management software. Partnership enables integrated Tippy tipping within Aura's platform.
- STX SoftwareminorSTX provides all-in-one small business management software. Partnership allows Tippy to be offered as part of STX's ecosystem.
- Salon UltimateminorSalon Ultimate offers comprehensive salon and spa management systems. Partnership enables integrated tipping solutions.
- L'Oréal ProfessionnelkeyL'Oréal Professionnel is a major hair care brand. Partnership provides marketing and industry co-marketing opportunities, with L'Oréal products featured alongside Tippy solutions.
- SalonCentrickeySalonCentric provides beauty industry distribution, education, and business-building support. Partnership enables co-marketing to their salon network.
- PBA (Professional Beauty Association)keyPBA is a professional beauty industry association. Partnership provides industry visibility and access to beauty professionals.
- Nina TuliominorNina Tulio is a business coach and influencer helping salon owners transform their businesses. Partnership for content marketing and industry education.
- MastercardcoreMastercard provides payment network infrastructure for Tippy's card processing. Featured in Mastercard Start Path program.
- Kopsa OtteminorKopsa Otte is an accounting and tax firm specializing in the beauty industry. Partnership provides tax reporting expertise and content for Tippy's educational resources.
- Summit (Salon Business)minorSummit provides business coaching and training for salons and spas. Partnership enables industry education and awareness.
- LEVEL Loyalty RewardsminorLEVEL offers loyalty rewards programs for salons using top industry brands. Partnership enables cross-promotion to member salons.
- Strategies (Salon Coaching)minorStrategies provides business coaches and consultants for employee-based salons and spas. Partnership enables educational content and industry expertise.
- Groomer To GroomerminorGroomer To Groomer is a pet grooming industry publication. Partnership enables marketing to pet grooming businesses.
- Vish (Salon Software)minorVish provides color-accurate pricing and analytics for salons. Partnership enables integrated tipping functionality.
- Salon TodayminorSalon Today provides peer-based best practices content for salon owners. Partnership enables thought leadership and industry visibility.
- Sam VillaminorSam Villa provides online hair education and professional tools. Partnership enables marketing to hairstylists.
- Ethos Beauty PartnersminorEthos is a professional beauty supply distributor. Partnership enables marketing to member salons.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tippy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Tippy social profiles
Digital presenceTippy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tippy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Tippy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tippy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tippy
What does Tippy do?
Tippy is a cloud-based digital tipping SaaS platform that enables service-industry businesses (salons, spas, pet groomers, fitness studios, auto shops) to accept, process, and disburse credit card tips via a countertop tipping kiosk, QR/NFC mobile tipping (TippyGO), or integrated POS checkout. The platform eliminates credit card processing fees on tips for the business owner and delivers instant tip payouts to service professionals through a Branch-powered digital wallet.
Is Tippy a public or private company?
Tippy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Tippy founded?
Tippy was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tippy based?
Tippy is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tippy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subscription Fees are the primary driver. The others are transaction Fees (Card Present), transaction Fees (Card Not Present) and administrative Fees.
Does Tippy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tippy.
What industry is Tippy in?
Tippy's product category is Digital Tipping Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACABAE, Creator Monetization & Tipping Platforms. Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 7372.