MAVENStrategy
Abstract ascending steps representing strategic growth
Payments Strategy Consulting

Smart payment
decisions create
real value.

We help SaaS and fintech companies find it, from strategy through execution, with deep processor relationships and real engineering capability.

Contact UsSee what we do

More than advice. Real results.

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About Maven

Payments strategy, built for tech companies that want to do more.

Most payments consultants come from banking or processing. Maven comes from the operator side. We've sat in the chair where the decisions get made. We've built embedded financial services programs, managed processor relationships across global markets, and lived with the consequences of getting it right or wrong.

We've done this with companies at difference stages of maturity, from those exploring embedded payments for the first time to those already operating at scale. Today, Maven Strategy advises and supports fintech and SAAS companies across a range of industries, including hospitality, health & dental, legal & accounting, travel and ecommerce.

That operating experience shapes how we think. Strategic yet practical, commercially focused, and grounded in what actually works.

20+
Years in payments
$100B+
Volume influenced
End-to-end
Strategy to engineering
Portrait of Jona Georgiou, CEO, Maven Strategy

Jona Georgiou

CEO, Maven Strategy

With nearly 20 years of experience scaling embedded financial services within vertical SaaS, Jona Georgiou is recognized for driving significant revenue growth through the development and expansion of financial services models.

As EVP & GM at Lightspeed Commerce, she built a global embedded financial services platform that grew transaction-based revenue to over 65% of company revenue. She also led payment integrations across 11 acquisitions spanning North America, EMEA, and APAC.

Previously, she led payments and risk at Wave Financial (acquired by H&R Block) and Points.com (acquired by Plusgrade). She is a recognized expert negotiator, having secured numerous strategic payment partnerships with material commercial outcomes.

What makes Maven different is what Jona brings beyond advice. She comes with a trusted ecosystem - the right processor relationships, implementation partners, and payments talent built over two decades. She brings an engineering team that has launched payments programs before, compressing timelines that typically take years into months. She has done this enough times to know exactly where projects stall and how to prevent it.

You're not hiring a consultant to tell you what to build. You're getting someone who has built it, knows who to call, and can help you execute.

Portrait of May Lam, Chief Growth Officer

May Lam

Chief Growth Officer

May Lam is a seasoned technology leader recognized for building and leading high-performing sales and delivery organizations, serving clients ranging from startups to global enterprises. She brings a strong track record of accelerating revenue growth, cultivating strategic partnerships, and leveraging emerging technologies to solve complex business challenges and deliver meaningful client value.

Throughout her career, May has held senior leadership roles overseeing go-to-market functions, where she has driven growth through integrated sales and delivery strategies while strengthening client engagement models. Her experience spans industries including loyalty marketing and e-commerce (travel and retail SaaS), telecommunications, and financial services. She has partnered with global enterprise organizations to modernize platform integrations, unlock the value of data, and scale customer-centric growth strategies.

At Maven Strategy, May ensures client strategies are translated into effective execution through a strong foundation in engineering discipline and the practical application of AI tools. She focuses on delivering measurable business outcomes by aligning technical implementation with business goals, enabling scalable solutions, and driving impact through strong partnerships and disciplined execution.

What we do

Services that move the needle on payments.

A full-stack payments practice covering strategy, sourcing, optimization, and execution, all under one roof.

Payments & Financial Services Strategy

You're deciding whether to go PayFac, ISO, referral or rethinking a model that's no longer working. We design the right strategy for your business, your risk tolerance, and your growth plan.

Processor and Partner Selection

Choosing the wrong processor is a multi-year mistake. We run structured RFP processes, evaluate infrastructure partners, and negotiate commercial agreements that actually reflect your volume and leverage.

Payments Monetization & GTM Strategy

Payments is a revenue line, not just infrastructure. We help you design pricing models, build go-to-market strategy, and drive adoption across your customer base.

Product roadmap & Integration

We advise on payments product design, integration architecture, and roadmap prioritization. We ensure your technical decisions align with your commercial ones but more importantly serve your customers.

Operations, Compliance & Risk

We design operational frameworks for onboarding, underwriting, risk management, and compliance across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and APAC.

Organization Design & Team Development

Building a payments function from scratch or scaling one that's outgrown its structure? We help you hire, organize, and develop the internal capability you need.

Not sure which applies to you? Most engagements start with a single conversation. We'll tell you honestly what's worth prioritizing.

Get in touch

Our Approach

A clear path from strategy to shipped outcomes.

Maven Strategy combines deep payments and financial services expertise with hands-on operating experience to bridge the gap between strategy and execution.

Our work has included advising on payments strategy, supporting partner selection, driving significant savings through payment processor negotiations, and guiding the operational, commercial, and risk decisions required to run payments successfully.

We work across the full lifecycle, from model design and partner selection through product, integration, and optimisation. Whether you are building a payments business, refining your model, or looking to reduce costs and complexity, we bring clarity to the decisions that matter most.

We don't just tell you what to do. We help you do it.

Meet Prism, Maven's engineering arm

Prism logo

We build what we design.

Most strategy engagements end at the recommendation. Ours don't. Prism is Maven's engineering arm — a team that has spent years building payment solutions and embedded financial services experiences across financial services, healthcare, retail, and e-commerce. From gateway integrations and PCI-compliant architectures to real-time transaction processing and reconciliation engines, they take the engagement all the way to production. You deal with one team throughout.

What We Deliver

Engineering

Payment gateway & processor integration

Engineering

PCI-DSS compliant architecture design

Engineering

Transaction processing & reconciliation

Engineering

Embedded payments platform engineering

Engineering

Payment data analytics & reporting

Engineering

API design for payment orchestration

Learn about Prism

Contact

Let's build something valuable.

Tell us about your product, your stack, and where you want payments to take you. We reply within one business day.

connect@mavenstrategy.org