At SXSW today, PayPal announced improvements to its Startup Blueprint program, adding 15 new partners and an additional offer to waive fees for payments processed on Braintree.
Startup Blueprint launched last October as an initiative to help startups focus on growth during their early stages.
The 15 new partnerships, which include TechStars and the program’s first VC firm, Kima Ventures, brings the total number to 18 with a global reach of 5,000 startups. PayPal already had agreements in place with 500Startups, Elevator Fund and SeedCamp.
Other new partner organizations include: Better Ventures, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, Founder Institute, LeCamping, H.FARM Ventures, K5Launch, StartupBootcamp, StartupWiseGuys, SURF Incubator, TheFamily, UpWest Labs, Venture Hive, and Village Capital.
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Through the program, startups can get have their Paypal fees waived for up to $1.5 million in payments and up to $100,000 on Braintree (US-only), potentially saving them as much as $50,000.
“One of our primary ways that we’re looking to enable [a new way of doing payments] is startups and early stage companies. We think by giving them fantastic payment capabilities, we’ll make their jobs easier,” PayPal CTO James Barrese told TNW in an interview.
Also part of the announcement, Braintree has expanded its new Ignition program to include any US startup. Previously the initiative, which waives processing fees for the first $50,000 of revenue, was limited to 1,000 companies.
Head over to our SXSW event page for all of our coverage from the show.
Photo credit: ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images
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