Pivot to Success: How Center Transformed from Hardware to $27B Software Company
Blue sofa against blue wall
When Tiny Speck's multiplayer game failed in 2012, they pivoted to focus on their messaging functionality, creating Slack—which later sold to Salesforce for $27.7 billion. This success story exemplifies how changing direction can lead to extraordinary outcomes.
Similarly, Center's journey from a hardware-focused digital wallet (CenterID) to a revolutionary spend management software demonstrates the power of strategic pivoting. The company now serves small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with integrated corporate card and expense management solutions.
Business team meeting at conference table
The transformation began in 2014 when founders Steve, Naveen, and Nik Singh recognized the emerging opportunities in mobile payment technology. While developing CenterID's hardware, they discovered the crucial need for complementary software—a revelation that led them to identify significant gaps in the expense management market.
Two key market problems drove Center's evolution:
- Changing employee buying patterns conflicting with outdated business processes
- Existing solutions being too expensive and inflexible for SMEs
People sitting together on office couch
Three technological shifts shaped Center's new direction:
- Embeddable payments enabling real-time data access
- AI-driven automation improving spend analysis
- Low-code development allowing easy customization
Modern office with greenery
Since launching Center Expense in 2020, the company has grown to serve over 900 customers across professional services, construction, consumer services, and nonprofits. Their success stems from creating a consumer-grade product that enables real-time spend visibility and better financial decision-making.
Center continues to expand its product offerings and innovate in spend management, focusing on serving the underserved SME market with solutions that enhance productivity and empower financial teams.