What Positive Software Co does

Positive Software Company, operating as a division of Kennewick Computer Company Inc. (incorporated in Washington State, USA), develops and markets point-of-sale (POS) and retail-management software for small retailers and small businesses in the United States. The company's roots trace to 1981, when Kennewick Computer Company was formed to sell Atari computers; dissatisfied with available POS products, management built an internal POS solution and in 1993 spun it out as the POSitive Software Company division to commercialize the product. Today the company offers three core products — POSitive For Retail, POSitive For Business, and POSitive GEM (Green Enterprise Manager) — all sharing a common architecture built on Microsoft SQL Server and Windows, with support for multi-station networked deployments and a Multi-site add-on for multi-location retailers. Feature breadth covers sales processing, inventory and customer management, layaway, quotes and orders, gift cards, purchase orders, accounts receivable, end-of-day procedures, and integrated credit/debit card acceptance through a Worldpay partnership; a Magento connector extends the product to omnichannel commerce.

The company monetizes through a recurring software-maintenance subscription (monthly or annual, with a premium Gold/ Gold Plus tier gating exclusive features, telephone support, training, and software updates), hourly professional services at $120/hour for non-subscribers, transaction-fee revenue share from integrated Worldpay payment processing, and a premium Gold tier that bundles upgrades and discounts. Distribution is primarily through an authorized US dealer/reseller network with direct sales and telephone support as a secondary channel; software is delivered via downloads gated by a maintenance key. The company is privately held, founder/owner-operated, with approximately 7 employees, no disclosed external funding, and no public listing. Key technology and channel partners include Microsoft (SQL Server, Windows), Worldpay (payments), StriveTech (outsourced IT, hardware, networking, and disaster recovery effective November 1, 2023), and Magento (e-commerce integration). No AI/ML capabilities, regulatory actions, M&A activity, or external institutional investors are identified in the available source material.

Name

Positive Software Co

Legal name

Kennewick Computer Company Inc.

Website

https://gopositive.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Positive Software Company, a division of Kennewick Computer Company Inc., develops Microsoft SQL Server-based point-of-sale and retail-management software (POSitive For Retail, For Business, GEM) for small retailers and small US small businesses, monetizing through subscriptions, hourly support, and integrated Worldpay payments via a dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Point-of-Sale Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

POS Payment Software & Middleware (Terminal OS, Apps, Device Management) (FSAMADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

POS Installation, Maintenance & Field Services (FSAMADAJ), POS-to-Online Unified Payments (Omnichannel Payments) (CRAFALAL)

Keywords

• Point of sale software
• Retail POS systems
• Payment processing integration
• Small business POS
• Microsoft SQL POS

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Cruces, NM

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Maintenance Subscriptions: Annual or monthly recurring subscription fees for software maintenance, support, and training. Subscriptions include telephone support, SupportNet access, knowledge base, training classes, software updates, and discounts on upgrades. Required for installing or updating version 6+ products and activating optional features like Gold Features.
2. Hourly Support Services: Non-subscription customers can pay hourly fees ($120/hour during business hours) for technical support. Includes access to technician assistance for software issues and troubleshooting.
3. Integrated Payment Processing: Revenue share or transaction fees from integrated Worldpay payment processing services, enabling merchants to accept credit card payments directly through POSitive software.
4. Additional Support Services: Additional support options available for items outside standard subscription scope (hardware, networking, customizations) may be available for additional fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

POSitive Software Company develops and licenses on-premise point-of-sale (POS) software for small retailers and small businesses, including POSitive For Retail, POSitive For Business, and POSitive GEM, with integrated credit/debit card processing through Worldpay and an optional IT services offering (StriveTech). Revenue is generated primarily through software subscriptions, recurring Gold support subscriptions, hourly service fees, and residual payment-processing revenue share.

Product overview

Positive Software Company offers a suite of point of sale (POS) software products designed to help small businesses compete with large retailers. The core product line consists of three main software solutions: POSitive For Retail (specialized for retail operations), POSitive For Business (general business POS), and POSitive GEM (Green Enterprise Manager for broader business management). All three products share a common architecture built on Microsoft SQL Server, offering similar functionality for sales processing, inventory management, customer management, and reporting. The company also provides complementary services including an Integrated Payment Processing module (powered by Worldpay), API Integration capabilities for third-party connectivity, a premium Gold Subscription for enhanced support and features, and IT services through partner StriveTech. The software requires Windows operating systems and supports multi-station networked configurations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POSitive For Retail: Point of sale software product for retail businesses
• POSitive For Business
• POSitive GEM
• POSitive Gold Subscription
• StriveTech IT Services

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• StriveTechcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 November 2023StriveTech serves as POSitive's IT partner for hardware, networking, and IT-related issues. Effective November 1, 2023, POSitive refers customers to StriveTech for issues outside POSitive's software and training scope, including server moves, networked printer installation, and IT troubleshooting. StriveTech also provides business-class backup and disaster recovery solutions recommended by POSitive.
• WorldpaycoreTechnology or IntegrationWorldpay provides integrated payment processing services for POSitive software, enabling merchants to accept credit card payments directly through the POS system. POSitive provides troubleshooting support for Worldpay-related errors and maintains documentation on Worldpay processing updates.
• Microsoft CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationPOSitive software is built on Microsoft SQL Server database technology. POSitive provides courtesy support for Microsoft SQL Server installation and configuration issues, referring customers to StriveTech for more complex database issues. SQL Server 2022 Express is recommended for new installations.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationPOSitive products run on Microsoft Windows operating systems (Windows 10/11 Professional and Enterprise, Windows Server 2019/2022/2025). While not obligated to provide Windows support, POSitive offers courtesy support for basic Windows and networking issues that may affect POSitive product operation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vend (Lightspeed Retail): Retail-focused cloud POS (now part of Lightspeed) targeting small and mid-market retailers — directly comparable SMB retail POS offering to POSitive For Retail.
• Lightspeed: Cloud-based POS and commerce platform targeting small and mid-sized retailers — directly competes with POSitive in the SMB retail POS segment, though delivered as a modern SaaS versus POSitive's on-premise Windows model.
• AccuPOS: POS and retail management software aimed at small and mid-sized retailers with inventory and CRM features — a long-standing small-retail POS competitor similar in positioning to POSitive.
• Springboard Retail: Retail POS and inventory platform for specialty retailers and multi-store SMBs — directly comparable to POSitive's Multi-site-capable retail offering.
• Epos Now: Cloud-based POS software targeted at small retailers and hospitality operators — closely comparable to POSitive in customer segment (small retailers), though delivered as cloud SaaS.
• Clover: SMB-focused POS and payments solution from Fiserv, combining hardware and software for small retailers — directly comparable offering to POSitive's integrated-payment retail POS stack.
• Square (Block): Iconic SMB POS and payments platform serving small retailers with integrated hardware, software, and payments — directly comparable to POSitive's small-business POS plus integrated Worldpay value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Shopify POS: Omnichannel commerce platform with a POS extension for small retailers; competes for the same small retail merchant wallet while operating at vastly greater scale and offering integrated e-commerce that POSitive only partly addresses via its Magento integration.

Emerging players

• Toast: Cloud POS platform purpose-built for restaurants — comparable POS/payments/management architecture to POSitive, but in a different vertical (restaurants vs general retail/SMB).
• Rezku: POS and restaurant management software for small operators with integrated payments — adjacent SMB POS competitor, overlapping in target customer profile though weighted toward hospitality.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLec8rShwtPoZXaOR814DMvO1V78Yh9wjg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/positive-software-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Positive Software Co