Today in the Connected Economy: AmEx, Resy Support Indie Restaurants

Today in the connected economy, American Express and Resy launch a campaign to get people eating at independent restaurants. Also, PayPal is among investors in frictionless checkout company Skipify, and Chargebee is launching a new receivables platform following is acquisition of numberz.

Amex, Resy Team on Restaurant Reservation Drive

American Express and Resy have launched the Every Resy Counts reservation drive, aimed at getting millions of consumers around the country to dine at independent restaurants through the end of March.

It’s an extension of American Express’ Let’s Grab a Table campaign, which works to bringing attention and support to independent restaurants.

The first million reservations made on Resy will unlock a $500,000 charitable donation to Southern Smoke, a relief organization supporting the food and beverage sector.

With every subsequent million reservations, AmEx and Resy will cover up to $99 per diner for up to six people at select restaurants.

PayPal Among Investors in Frictionless Checkout Firm Skipify

Frictionless commerce firm Skipify has concluded a strategic investment round with help from PayPal Ventures, Synchrony, Amex Ventures and Okta Ventures.

Based in San Mateo, California, Skipify lets merchants provide instant checkouts across their websites, apps and marketing channels.

The company says the new funds will let it speed up the process of enhancing its product and infrastructure. Skipify is also “hiring aggressively for its product and engineering teams,” the company said in its announcement.

Chargebee Launches Receivables Platform With Numberz Acquisition

Subscription management platform Chargebee has unveiled Chargebee Receivables following its acquisition of collection management firm numberz.

The new offering lets subscription businesses automate the receivables process from purchase to payment, while also managing subscription products and invoices, assisting in data collections and providing business leaders with improved insights.

“Over the last year, we have focused on strategic acquisitions that grow our platform and solve a wide range of customer problems by building a unified solution that connects data points from all aspects of the business,” Chargebee CEO and co-founder Krish Subramanian said.

Wholesale Grocery Marketplace Pod Foods Launches Data-Driven Discovery Engine

Wholesale grocery marketplace Pod Foods has unveiled a data-driven discovery engine to expand the reach of its “infinite shelf” to more retailers in any location.

The company said the new engine allows the company’s infinite warehouse of emerging brands to be linked to any retailer. Merchants can also access Pod Foods software and data-enriched warehousing and fulfillment platform.

HandCash App Integrates Circle, Fabriik Tools To Offer Top-Ups

Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) trading wallet company HandCash is working with payments platform Circle and Canadian FinTech firm Fabriik to give users the ability to top up their accounts within the app.

HandCash approached both companies with their planned design for the fiat ramps system, and found the two firms receptive, as many of their employees were HandCash users.

HandCash said it’s goal is to offer an in-app, instant experience that includes the liquidity, reliability and support of offered by the industry’s biggest players. By integrating Fabriik’s Weave API into the client onboarding experience, it can provide BSV liquidity in-app and let user trade their cryptocurrency with ease.