The idea for Paygent.ai started long before it had a name.

When I was earning my MBA in Finance, I was also working inside a payment processor. In class, we’d laugh (and groan) at how cryptic finance data could be. Even with insider knowledge, it felt like decoding a foreign language — and without someone walking you through it, you were lost.

At work, I saw the flip side. Residuals that were a nightmare to reconcile. Interchange rules that seemed to change overnight. Fee structures so complex even the most well-intentioned processor could slip up.

And it hit me: if I was struggling with all this context, what chance did a small business owner have? They don’t have analysts or finance teams. They’re asked to simply “trust” — not because processors are malicious, but because the system is too complex for anyone to manage on gut instinct alone. Honest mistakes go unnoticed, and the business owner pays the price.

That realization planted the seed.

What if small business owners had a teammate?
Not a consultant they could barely afford.
Not another piece of jargon-filled paperwork.
But an always-on partner that could monitor the fine print, catch anomalies, and finally make sense of every transaction.

That’s why I built Paygent.ai.

I’ve spent 17+ years scaling SaaS and fintech companies, from scrappy startups to $1B+ valuations. My specialty has always been bringing clarity to chaos — whether in payments, systems, or strategy. Paygent.ai is the natural next step: a platform built to level the playing field for the very people who need it most.

Because knowledge is power.
And it’s time small business owners had it on their side.

— Krystal A. Little, Founder