Serve First Solutions
Serve First Solutions is a B2B payment processor founded in 2002, serving enterprise clients in wholesale, distribution, and manufacturing. Acquired by Fortis in July 2025, its vertical expertise and ERP-integrated payment capabilities now operate within Fortis's broader embedded payments platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersLos Alamitos, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Serve First Solutions does
Serve First Solutions was a privately-held B2B payment processor founded in 2002 and headquartered in Los Alamitos, California. The company specialized in providing payment processing services to enterprise clients in three core verticals—wholesale, distribution, and manufacturing—generating revenue through transaction fees typical of the payments industry. Its competitive positioning rested on deep B2B expertise and a service model tailored to enterprise payment workflows, including Level 2/Level 3 processing, click-to-pay invoicing, and PCI-compliant payment acceptance.
On July 29, 2025, Serve First Solutions was acquired by Fortis, an embedded payment technology leader headquartered in Plano, Texas. The acquisition merged Serve First's vertical B2B expertise with Fortis' proprietary technology and broader ERP integration capabilities, resulting in an integrated payment platform spanning Accounts Receivable Payments, Embedded Payments, Payment Acceptance, Platform Monetization, and the Optimize & Grow analytics module. The combined platform supports ERP integrations with Acumatica, Microsoft Dynamics 365, NetSuite, Sage, and QuickBooks, and now serves an expanded set of verticals including agriculture, construction, field services, healthcare, professional services, and specialty retail beyond the original three.
Post-acquisition, Serve First operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortis. Leadership prior to and around the transaction included Robert Beaton (President), Andrew Westlund (National Director of Sales), and Brett Jacks (Director of Business Development). The company's go-to-market, marketing, and distribution channels have been integrated into Fortis's broader platform, and no standalone financial disclosures (revenue, funding, pricing) are available.
Serve First Solutions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Serve First Solutions
- Website
- https://serve-first.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Serve First Solutions is a B2B payment processor founded in 2002, serving enterprise clients in wholesale, distribution, and manufacturing. Acquired by Fortis in July 2025, its vertical expertise and ERP-integrated payment capabilities now operate within Fortis's broader embedded payments platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Serve First Solutions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated POS Payments (ISVs & Vertical POS Platforms) (FSAMADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB), POS, SoftPOS & In-Person Acceptance Infrastructure (FSAGABAO)
Keywords
Where Serve First Solutions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Alamitos
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Serve First Solutions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- B2B Payment Processing: Serve First Solutions is described as a premier B2B payment processor, providing payment processing services to B2B clients in key verticals including wholesale, distribution, and manufacturing.
Serve First Solutions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Serve First Solutions is a B2B payment processor that provides integrated payment solutions to enterprises in the wholesale, distribution, and manufacturing verticals. The company embeds secure payment processing directly into clients' ERP systems and software platforms, supporting capabilities such as invoicing, collections, Level 2/Level 3 payment processing, and PCI-compliant transactions to help clients accelerate cash flow and unlock new revenue. Post-acquisition by Fortis in July 2025, its offering is delivered through Fortis's broader embedded payments platform.
Product overview
Fortis offers a unified embedded payment platform with multiple integrated modules designed for B2B businesses. The core product suite includes Accounts Receivable Payments for streamlined invoicing and collections, Embedded Payments for seamless integration into software platforms and ERP systems, Payment Acceptance for in-person, online, and mobile transactions, and Platform Monetization for turning payments into a revenue stream. The Optimize & Grow analytics module complements these offerings by providing insights for smarter payment operations. These products work together as an integrated ecosystem supporting key verticals including wholesale, distribution, manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and professional services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Accounts Receivable Payments Streamlined invoicing and collections module that handles compliance, reconciliation, and transaction security to help businesses focus on growth; part of the embedded B2B payment suite integrated with ERP systems.
- Embedded Payments
Companies that use Serve First Solutions
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Serve First Solutions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Serve First Solutions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- FortiscoreFortis, an embedded payment technology leader headquartered in Plano, Texas, acquired Serve First Solutions on July 29, 2025. The acquisition integrates Serve First's deep B2B expertise and service model with Fortis' proprietary technology and existing ERP capabilities to strengthen market position in key verticals including wholesale, distribution, and manufacturing. Fortis CEO Greg Cohen stated the combination will help clients unlock new revenue and accelerate cash flow through integrated solutions built for scale.
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Serve First Solutions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Fortis: Parent acquirer and the embedded payments platform into which Serve First has been integrated. Both share ERP-integrated B2B payments DNA across wholesale, distribution, manufacturing, and other verticals.
- Bill.com: Public, scaled B2B payments and AP/AR platform serving SMB and mid-market with deep QuickBooks/Xero/NetSuite integrations — a much larger competitor in the same B2B payments workflow category.
- Stripe: Broad-incumbent payments platform with B2B and embedded finance products (Stripe Connect, Treasury, Invoicing) and deep software platform integrations — competes for the same ISV and B2B embedded payments wallet.
Direct peers
- Stax: Subscription-based B2B payment processor targeting ISVs and mid-market merchants with integrated software-plus-payments offerings, directly comparable to Serve First's ISV/ERP-integrated positioning.
- Helcim: B2B-focused payment processor offering transparent interchange-plus pricing, merchant accounts, and integrated software workflows for SMB and mid-market — overlapping Serve First's value proposition.
- Payment Depot: Membership-based wholesale payment processor with interchange-plus pricing and software integrations, directly comparable to Serve First's B2B/ISV positioning.
- Versapay: B2B accounts-receivable automation and embedded payments platform with ERP/NetSuite integration — closest functional comp to Serve First/Fortis's AR payments and ERP-gateway stack.
- Gravity Payments: B2B merchant services provider with transparent pricing and ERP-integrated processing, comparable to Serve First's mid-market wholesale/distribution focus.
- North American Bancard: Direct-payment processor offering B2B/ISV payment solutions with interchange-plus pricing and ERP integrations — a comparable mid-market payment processor.
Emerging players
- Modern Treasury: Payments infrastructure platform for B2B money movement with developer-first APIs and ERP integrations — an emerging adjacent competitor to Fortis/Serve First's developer-friendly B2B payment rails.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Serve First Solutions social profiles
Digital presenceServe First Solutions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Serve First Solutions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Serve First Solutions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Serve First Solutions 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 Serve First Solutions
What does Serve First Solutions do?
Serve First Solutions is a B2B payment processor that provides integrated payment solutions to enterprises in the wholesale, distribution, and manufacturing verticals. The company embeds secure payment processing directly into clients' ERP systems and software platforms, supporting capabilities such as invoicing, collections, Level 2/Level 3 payment processing, and PCI-compliant transactions to help clients accelerate cash flow and unlock new revenue. Post-acquisition by Fortis in July 2025, its offering is delivered through Fortis's broader embedded payments platform.
Is Serve First Solutions a public or private company?
Serve First Solutions is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Serve First Solutions founded?
Serve First Solutions was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Serve First Solutions based?
Serve First Solutions is headquartered in Los Alamitos, United States, in the North America region.
How does Serve First Solutions make money?
One revenue line is on record: B2B Payment Processing.
Who are Serve First Solutions's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Fortis, Bill.com and Stripe. Direct peers are Stax, Helcim, Payment Depot, Versapay, Gravity Payments and North American Bancard. Modern Treasury is listed as an emerging player.
Does Serve First Solutions have an API?
Yes. Fortis offers developer-friendly payment APIs, SDKs, code samples, and an API console with easy authentication and clear documentation for building, integrating, and scaling payments. The platform supports REST-based APIs designed for developers to build and scale payments fast. Developer documentation is at docs.fortis.tech/v/1_0_0.html#/rest/quick-start-guide/overview.
What industry is Serve First Solutions in?
Serve First Solutions's product category is Payment Processing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMADAD, Integrated POS Payments (ISVs & Vertical POS Platforms), with a secondary code of FSAGALAB, Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets). Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 7370.