About PlaySpan
PlaySpan is a Media & Entertainment company based in Santa Clara (United States) founded in 2006, and was acquired by Visa in February 2011. It operates as a payment solutions are provided for game publishers and developers. It operates in the Media & Entertainment and Financial Services sectors. PlaySpan has raised $46.3 million across 4 funding rounds from investors including Visa, Vodafone and Menlo Ventures. PlaySpan has completed 2 acquisitions, including PayByCash and Spare Change Payments. Its focus areas include FinTech, Payments, Enablers and Issuer Processor. Its legal entity is PlaySpan Inc. Its competitors include Worldpay, Euronet Worldwide, EVO Payments, Stone and Marqeta and 3 more; 4 of its 8 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
PlaySpan was founded in 2006 in Santa Clara, United States, within the gaming sector. Payment solutions are offered to publishers and developers through an in-game digital goods commerce and micropayment platform. Revenues are generated for clients, new users are acquired, and loyalty among existing users is extended via these services. Operations focus on facilitating secure transactions in virtual environments.
- Headquarters Santa Clara, United States
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & EntertainmentFinancial Services
- Website playspan.com
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by Visa (Feb 2011)
- Legal Name Playspan Inc
Funding Insights of PlaySpan
PlaySpan has successfully raised a total of $46.3M across 4 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series C round of $18 million completed in July 2010. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $46.3M
- Total Rounds 4
- Last Round Series C — $18M
- First Round $6.5M
(Sep 2007)
- Investors Count 7
All 4 funding rounds of PlaySpan with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2010 | $18M | Series C | – | Vodafone | |
| Nov 2008 | $16.8M | Series B | – | – | |
| Jul 2008 | $5M | Series A | – | – | |
| Sep 2007 | $6.5M | Series A | – | – |
8 investors in total: 8 institutional.
Investors in PlaySpan
PlaySpan has secured backing from 8 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Visa, Vodafone and Menlo Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Early-stage venture capital firm investing in AI, healthcare, and tech sectors. | – | menlovc.com | - | |
- | – | sticinternational.com | - | |
Venture capital firm backed by Novel Group | – | noveltmtventures.tcc.mode | New York, United States | |
SoftBank subsidiary that makes venture investments in China, India and Southeast Asia | – | softbankci.com | Hong Kong, China | |
- | – | eastoncapital.com | - | |
Investments are made in seed and early-stage startups. | – | ecosystemventures-ice.com | Saratoga, United States | |
Vodafone is recognized as a global telecommunications provider. | 1982 | vodafone.com | Newbury, United Kingdom | |
Digital payment solutions are offered to individuals and businesses. | 1958 | visa.com | San Francisco, United States |
Investor details for PlaySpan
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by PlaySpan
PlaySpan has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 2 companies. Notable acquisitions include PayByCash and Spare Change Payments.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Micropayments are enabled for social networking sites and mobile apps. | sparechangeinc.com | Cupertino, United States | 2007 | Apr 2009 | •••• | |
Prepaid cards are issued for gaming industry payments. | paybycash.com | Charlottesville, United States | 1998 | Jul 2008 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for PlaySpan
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of PlaySpan
6 dated milestones of PlaySpan across 5 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded PlaySpan is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $6.5M.
- Acquisition Acquires PayByCash.
- Acquisition Acquires Spare Change Payments.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series C, of $18.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Visa.
Competitors of PlaySpan
PlaySpan has 8 listed competitors in our database, 4 of them funded. They include Worldpay, Euronet Worldwide, EVO Payments, Stone and Marqeta, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| worldpay.com | 1993 | London, United Kingdom | $18M | 1,671 | Payment services and analytics solutions are provided for businesses. | |
| euronetworldwide.com | 1994 | Leawood, United States | – | 10,000 | Electronic payments and transaction processing solutions are offered globally. | |
| evopayments.com | 1989 | Atlanta, United States | – | – | Global payment solutions are provided by EVO Payments, Inc. | |
| stone.com.br | 2013 | Sao Paulo, Brazil | – | – | Payment solutions for e-commerce businesses are provided via API-linked gateways. | |
| marqeta.com | 2010 | Oakland, United States | $528.11M | 854 | Card-issuing and payment processing solutions are offered to businesses. | |
| cielo.com.br | 1995 | Barueri, Brazil | – | 13,347 | Merchant acquiring and card processing services are provided in Brazil. | |
| revworldwide.com | 2009 | Austin, United States | $5.2M | – | Co-branded card programs are managed for business partners worldwide. | |
| planetpayment.com | 1999 | Long Beach, United States | $22.27M | 90 | Acquiring and Processing services |
Detailed competitors of PlaySpan
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of PlaySpan
Websites that share an audience with PlaySpan (playspan.com).
Websites whose visitors overlap most with PlaySpan. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
rpgbids.com | rpgbids.com | 100% | – | – | – |
| fatfoogoo.com | 86% | – | – | View details | |
| zynga.com | 82% | 3.8M | #16,802 | View details | |
| mochimedia.com | 82% | – | #13,584,164 | View details | |
forum.gamebox.com | forum.gamebox.com | 76% | – | – | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 15 similar websites and full traffic analytics for PlaySpan
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 15 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Gaming Platforms & Ecosystem
10 companies that operate in the same segment as PlaySpan (Gaming Platforms & Ecosystem), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Digital entertainment, e-commerce, and financial services are provided globally. | 2006 | Singapore, Singapore, Singapore | USD 721.47 M | USD 22.94 B | 3,733 | |
Gaming hardware and accessories are developed for players. | 2005 | Irvine, California, United States | USD 126.27 M | – | 1,981 | |
Provider of cross-platform game engine technology | 1991 | Cary, North Carolina, United States | USD 8.13 B | – | 11,961 | |
VR-based head-mounted displays for gaming are provided by Oculus. | 2012 | Menlo Park, California, United States | USD 107.05 M | – | – | |
ESports social video streaming platform | 2006 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 35.12 M | – | – | |
Microsoft is recognized for software, hardware, and gaming solutions. | 1975 | Redmond, Washington, United States | – | USD 281.72 B | 228,000 | |
Blockchain-based PC and mobile games are developed and published. | 2006 | Kowloon, Hong Kong, China | USD 997.58 M | USD 101.34 M | 307 | |
Custom overlay apps for PC games are developed. | 2009 | Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv District, Israel | USD 149.74 M | – | – | |
Valve Corporation is engaged in gaming, digital distribution, and hardware development. | 1996 | Bellevue, Washington, United States | – | – | 1,855 | |
Unity is recognized as a leading real-time development platform. | 2004 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 893.5 M | USD 1.85 B | 7,102 |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track — from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Playspan
Complete news archive for PlaySpan
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about PlaySpan
PlaySpan was founded in 2006 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
PlaySpan is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States. It is registered at Santa Clara, California, United States.
PlaySpan is a funded company, having raised a total of $46.3M across 4 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $6.5M, raised on Sep 2007.
PlaySpan was founded in 2006 in Santa Clara, United States, within the gaming sector. Payment solutions are offered to publishers and developers through an in-game digital goods commerce and micropayment platform. Revenues are generated for clients, new users are acquired, and loyalty among existing users is extended via these services. Operations focus on facilitating secure transactions in virtual environments.
PlaySpan's top competitors include Worldpay, Euronet Worldwide and Marqeta.
PlaySpan has made 2 acquisitions, including PayByCash, and Spare Change Payments.
PlaySpan has 8 investors. Key investors include Visa, Vodafone, Menlo Ventures, STIC International, and Novel TMT Ventures.
PlaySpan operates through Playspan Inc.
Yes. PlaySpan was acquired by Visa in February 2011.