What CambridgeCommerce does

CambridgeCommerce, Inc. is a privately held California S-Corporation founded in 1999 and headquartered in Oceanside, California, operating as a non-exclusive merchant services agent and payment processing consultant for SMB merchants. The company's core function is to act as an intermediary between merchants and acquiring banks/payment processors: it collects business and ownership information through a "Quick App" online portal, accepts supporting documentation through a secure upload portal, and provides gateway login access for ongoing account management. CambridgeCommerce does not process payments, underwrite merchants, or act as a money transmitter; instead, it submits prepared applications to its processor partners (NMI, Authorize.net, USAePay) and earns commission-based compensation directly from those acquirers, with no disclosed fees charged to merchants.

The firm's commercial model is affiliate/referral-driven, with all account-level fees (processing, monthly, chargeback, PCI compliance) set by and paid to the acquiring bank rather than CambridgeCommerce. It sells consultatively to four primary SMB segments — start-up merchants, scaling businesses, merchants in processing distress, and e-commerce/retail/direct response marketers — through phone, email, website forms, and an opt-in SMS channel. Service offerings are advisory rather than software products: Consultative Solutions, Payment Optimization, Chargeback Reduction, Fraud Prevention & Protection, and Platform Selection, backed by an in-house team of approximately six publicly listed professionals led by President Travis Gomez.

Technology footprint is lightweight and integration-brokered rather than proprietary: branded portals (Quick App, Secure Document Upload, Gateway Login) sit on top of third-party gateway and e-commerce/CRM infrastructure (Authorize.net, NMI, USAePay; Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, Volusion, Ecwid, Squarespace; HubSpot, Infusionsoft/Keap, Ontraport, GoHighLevel, Zoho CRM). The company is privately held with no disclosed funding, parent, or investor base, and its domestic-only operating geography is implicit in its California incorporation and U.S.-only merchant focus.

Name

CambridgeCommerce

Legal name

CambridgeCommerce, Inc.

Website

https://cambridgecommerce.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CambridgeCommerce is a California S-Corporation founded in 1999 that operates as a non-exclusive merchant services agent, connecting SMB merchants — especially in e-commerce and direct response marketing — with acquiring banks and payment processors and earning referral commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlsbad

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Merchant Services Agent Compensation: CambridgeCommerce acts as a non-exclusive merchant services agent for acquiring banks and payment processors. All compensation to CambridgeCommerce is paid directly by the acquiring banks or payment processors with which they maintain agent relationships. Merchant applicants do not pay CambridgeCommerce for any fees associated with payment processing. Any fees applicable to merchant accounts (processing fees, monthly fees, chargeback fees, PCI compliance fees) are established by and payable to the acquiring bank or payment processor under the merchant agreement, not to CambridgeCommerce.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CambridgeCommerce is a merchant services agent and payment processing consultant that helps businesses apply for, set up, and manage merchant accounts with acquiring banks and payment processors. The firm delivers consultative solutions covering payment optimization, chargeback reduction, fraud prevention and platform selection, and supports clients across startup, scaling, and processing-challenge scenarios. Its revenue is generated via commissions paid by acquiring bank and processor partners rather than direct fees from merchants.

Product overview

CambridgeCommerce is a merchant services agent and payment processing consultant founded in 1999, operating as a California S-Corporation. The company does not offer a unified software platform but rather provides consultative services including Payment Optimization, Chargeback Reduction, Fraud Prevention & Protection, and Platform Selection. CambridgeCommerce facilitates connections between merchants and acquiring banks/payment processors, offering online application portals (Quick App), Secure Document Upload, and Gateway Login access. Additional services include SMS messaging for client communications, specialized guidance for start-up merchants, scaling business support, and resolution services for merchants experiencing processing challenges. The company works with multiple payment gateways including Authorize.net, NMI, and USAePay, and supports various e-commerce platforms and CRMs such as Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, HubSpot, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Merchant Services Agent & Payment Processing Consulting Core consultative engagement in which CambridgeCommerce acts as a non-exclusive independent merchant services agent, advising businesses on payment processor selection, evaluating merchant applications, facilitating document submission, and guiding clients across startup, scaling, and processing-challenge scenarios for SMB merchants in e-commerce, retail, and direct response marketing.
• Quick App Application Portal Standalone online application portal that collects business, ownership, banking, and processing information from merchants and submits completed applications to acquiring banks and payment processors for underwriting review.
• Secure Document Upload Portal Standalone secure document upload system that enables merchant applicants to submit identity verification, corporate documents, IRS documents, bank statements, and processing statements required for underwriting.
• Gateway Login Portal Standalone client gateway access portal enabling merchants to log in and manage their payment processing accounts with partner processors and gateways.
• SMS Messaging Service Opt-in SMS messaging service for appointment reminders, application onboarding communications, and ongoing merchant support, available to CambridgeCommerce clients who consent to text communications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Merchants have reduced fraud by 90% while scaling revenues to nearly $100MM under guidance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration19 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Acquiring Banks and Payment ProcessorscoreOthersCambridgeCommerce acts as a non-exclusive independent merchant services agent for acquiring banks and payment processors. They work with these institutions on behalf of merchant clients to identify, evaluate, and facilitate payment processing solutions. The company submits merchant applications to acquiring banks and processors for underwriting review. All final decisions regarding merchant account approval, pricing, terms, and account management are made by the acquiring banks and payment processors, not by CambridgeCommerce. Specific processor partners mentioned include NMI, Authorize.net, and USAePay for gateway services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Square (Block): Major incumbent in SMB payment processing with a self-serve platform. Comparable as a payment processor serving the same SMB merchant base, but operates at vastly larger scale and offers automated onboarding rather than consultative service.
• Stripe: Dominant online payment processor serving millions of businesses globally. Comparable as a payment processing option CambridgeCommerce merchants may have switched from, but operates as a self-serve platform rather than consultative agent.
• PayPal: Global incumbent in online payments and merchant processing. Comparable as an alternative SMB payment provider, though much larger and self-serve rather than consultative.

Emerging players

• CardFlight: Payments technology company providing merchant account services and payment tools to SMBs and software integrators. Partial overlap with CambridgeCommerce's merchant services offering, but more focused on developer/SaaS integration.

Direct peers

• PaymentCloud: Merchant services agent/ISO specializing in high-risk and hard-to-place merchant accounts. Directly comparable to CambridgeCommerce as an independent agent brokering payment processing solutions for SMB merchants across multiple verticals.
• Helcim: Payment processor and merchant services provider offering transparent pricing for SMBs. Comparable as a payment platform serving small and mid-sized merchants with account setup and ongoing processing support.
• Stax (formerly Fattmerchant): Subscription-based payment processing platform and merchant services provider targeting SMBs. Comparable in serving the SMB merchant market with payment optimization and platform selection, though more SaaS-led than consultative.
• National Processing: Merchant services provider offering payment processing and account placement for SMBs. Closely comparable model — independent agent/ISO positioning merchants with acquiring banks and providing chargeback and ongoing support.
• Dharma Merchant Services: Independent merchant services provider focused on transparent, relationship-based payment processing for SMBs. Comparable in serving smaller merchants with personalized service rather than purely self-serve models.
• Electronic Payments: Independent sales organization (ISO) and merchant services provider offering payment processing solutions to SMBs across multiple verticals. Directly comparable independent-agent model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CambridgeCommerce