Our Story
As founders of BuildUp, we witnessed the heartbreak of small businesses in our communities shutting down, often within their first two years. Each closure wasn’t just a lost storefront. It meant lost jobs, fading neighborhood culture, and broken dreams.
Determined to understand why, we discovered something that changed our perspective. Like many, we had underestimated just how much small businesses mean to our communities. They are more than places to shop. They are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods, supporting families, creating opportunities, and giving our communities their unique identity.
Yet many struggle to attract customers and keep them coming back. Unlike larger chains, they often cannot afford powerful loyalty programs. Rising payment costs and disconnected commercial relationships make it even harder to compete. Their struggles opened our eyes to an urgent need for change.
We realized they needed more than encouragement to shop local. They needed a connected economic system that brings more customers through their doors, gives them reasons to keep coming back, helps businesses keep more of what they earn, and connects them with other local businesses so they can grow together.
That’s when we founded BuildUp.
Our Vision
When local businesses thrive, communities thrive.
We envision a future where small businesses attract more customers, earn their loyalty, and grow together without sacrificing more of their hard-earned profits.
A connected local economy where lower-cost payments help businesses keep more of what they earn, while a portion of the net contribution from merchant-to-merchant transactions helps sustain shared consumer rewards that bring shoppers back.
Through economic intelligence, we aim to make repeat spending, business connections, and local economic activity visible and measurable.
Because customer loyalty shouldn’t become another financial burden on small businesses. It should be part of a self-reinforcing economic cycle that drives repeat local spending and shared prosperity.
