© RYAN PFLEGER

With over a decade of experience in web development and software project management, my career began at Spark Interactive, a software development and multimedia company based in Santa Barbara, CA. There, I helped create and manage large-scale PHP-based websites built on the Joomla CMS, and contributed to a variety of custom web applications including social networks, online directories, discussion forums, and lead generation systems.

After several years of hands-on development, I became a Software Development Manager and adopted agile methodologies to lead cross-functional teams. Following the acquisition of Spark Interactive, I launched my first company, Pacific Media Concepts (PMC), which focused on consulting, digital marketing, and custom web solutions.

In 2013, I sold PMC to my partner and co-founded Yovigo Inc. (now PayWhirl Inc.) with my longtime friend and collaborator, Brandon Swift.

Our first product, Yovigo, was a free DIY website builder that was acquired in January 2016. We then shifted focus to building PayWhirl, a flexible subscription and recurring payments platform for eCommerce. Since its launch in 2014, PayWhirl has continued to grow and is now used by tens of thousands of merchants on Shopify, BigCommerce, and other platforms.

In addition to PayWhirl, we’ve developed complementary SaaS tools like Glow Loyalty, a customizable loyalty and rewards platform for Shopify merchants, and Upsell Wizard, a smart upsell and cross-sell solution designed to increase average order value.