Perpay is on a mission to provide simple, transparent and inclusive financial products to anyone who receives a paycheck.
The social impact-driven fintech company lets people finance the big ticket items they need from its ecommerce marketplace — like new furniture, or a washer and dryer — based on income, not credit score. Affordable monthly payments are then made directly from the customers’ paycheck each pay period, so customers never miss a payment or overdraft from their accounts. And unlike alternative loan options for people with less-than-stellar credit (think payday lenders and rent-to-own players), there are no late fees and no interest.
The Perpay team is so invested in the success of its customers, they actually read every single piece of customer feedback they receive. This detailed practice has unlocked some of the company’s best features, including its newest credit-building product, Perpay+ — an addition that’s helping customers take even more control of their financial futures.
While its mission is the star of the operation, the office is a sight to see in its own right. Perpay recently moved into their new office in the block-long Aramark building at 2400 Market Street. The office blends bold bohemian prints and furnishings with showstopping lighting which cascades down from ultra-high ceilings. Larger than life rugs and armchairs create intimate work spaces within the expansive, open-concept office. Floor to ceiling windows afford expansive views to the north, south and west, with stunning vistas of 30th Street Station and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
If you want to help reimagine consumer finance alongside this mission-driven team, Perpay is in major growth mode. It seeks technologists and managers in analytics, engineering, marketing and product who crave ownership and autonomy over their work while making a positive social impact on the world.
“We’re helping people gain access to credit in a way that has previously been unavailable to them — or available, but in a negative way. Every day, week, month we’re building functionality that offers customers healthier financial options. Much like my previous experiences at Square and Wealthfront, it’s very goal oriented. Very thoughtful and strategic.”
Michael Bohs Head of Product“Taking a job at Perpay after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania has been great because I’ve been able to explore, to touch every part of the tech stack and figure out what I want to do. I didn’t want to work anywhere I’d be siloed into a specific role, when I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to specialise in yet. Here, there is so much mentorship and openness to letting you define your path.”
Zulfi Soomro Software Engineer“Perpay stands out from other fintech companies because its motivation is directly aligned with customers’ needs. Everyone has a strong reason for working here. The entire team is connected to the mission.”
Sarah Krasnik Data Engineer"We’re constantly refining our product and responding to changes — what projects are on the horizon, what legwork needs to be done to keep things moving? You can be methodical about how you approach things; while the problems are different, the way you attack them can be consistent. It keeps you on track."
Arik Misler CTOWhat’s unique about the Perpay brand?
Perpay’s mission is to provide consumers with an easy way to make purchases, pay over time and build credit. It is dedicated to building simple, transparent and inclusive financial products that improve the lives of its customers.
Perpay is working to solve broad issues of financial access and inclusion that affect a large number of people through the pathways of microlending, consumer finance and e-commerce. Its focus is purely on its customers.
What is the team dynamic within the office?
As a high-growth company, Perpay fosters collaboration whenever possible. It does so by keeping its organizational structure cross-disciplinary and outcome-oriented. Anyone can have a conversation or introduce an idea at any time — there are no silos.
Perpay also works to foster an entrepreneurial spirit at the individual level. First and foremost, it’s a product-focused company, and believes everyone on the team is a product contributor. Perpay is building tools that make an impact on so many people, and believes the best way to do that is to get input from every one of its team members — whether they’ve been on the team for three weeks or three years. Everyone’s perspective is important.
What qualities does Perpay look for in technical candidates?
While most of its systems and microservices are written in Python, the company prefers talented polyglots that have an insatiable will to learn and create. At Perpay, they’re not afraid of trying new things and are more concerned with finding great problem solvers that will find the right tools for the job.
The Perpay team is most interested in a candidate’s mentality and experience — especially if it is one of delivering solutions that are well designed, reliable and highly scalable. They work in a fast-paced startup environment where efficiency and iterative approaches are critical. This makes it extremely important to find candidates who communicate well and understand the theory, design patterns and implementation details that go into delivering a solution.
How about candidates overall?
Perpay is looking for people who are naturally curious, self-directed and interested in self-improvement. Everyone on the team is eager to learn, excited about what they're working on and is doing their own research about the industry — like reading up on consumer credit and the greater microlending environment.
One thing it values about its team is diversity of experience. Perpay has built a team with all kinds of different backgrounds: finance, engineering, operations, non-profit and even chemistry.
Additionally, because of the work it does, candidates need to have a sense of empathy. A team member can be an amazing problem solver, but in order to be a good fit they need to keep a human element to everything they do. Data can certainly help find an answer, but empathy will often lead to deeper insights.
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