ROAM Data

ROAM Data, established in 2005 by serial entrepreneur Will Graylin, carved a significant niche in the mobile commerce sector before its acquisition by Ingenico Group. Graylin, a prolific inventor and business founder with degrees from MIT and a background as a U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Officer, identified the burgeoning need for mobile payment solutions. His journey includes founding several successful tech companies, such as WAY Systems, the first provider of pocket-sized mobile point-of-sale systems, which was acquired by Verifone. This extensive experience in mobile technology and payments directly informed the strategy and development of ROAM Data.

The company operated as a Mobile Application Service Provider (MASP), specializing in turning merchants' mobile devices into secure point-of-sale (POS) terminals. ROAM provided a white-label mCommerce platform that included secure mobile card readers, mPOS applications, and a robust payments engine. This platform was designed to be versatile, supporting a wide array of mobile phones, from early feature phones to modern smartphones running on iOS and Android. The business model focused on distributing these solutions through numerous partners worldwide, enabling a diverse client base—from micro-merchants like plumbers and electricians to large enterprises with mobile sales or delivery fleets—to accept card payments on the go.

A key milestone in ROAM's history was the strategic investment from Ingenico Ventures in November 2009, which injected $6.5 million into the company. This partnership eventually led to Ingenico acquiring a controlling interest and, by January 2015, full ownership of ROAM. Following the acquisition, ROAM Data was integrated into Ingenico Mobile Solutions, Ingenico's mobile-focused brand headquartered in Boston, to accelerate the deployment of a global and integrated mobile commerce offering. The ROAM brand was absorbed, but its core products and technology continued to be a key part of Ingenico's strategy to capture a larger share of the North American market and adapt to the shift towards mobile payments, including technologies like EMV and Apple Pay.

Keywords: mobile point-of-sale, mPOS, Will Graylin, Ingenico, mobile payments, mCommerce platform, secure mobile card readers, white-label payment solutions, payment gateway, mobile merchant solutions, WAY Systems, payment technology, financial software, mobile transactions, POS terminals, EMV, payment processing, mobile commerce infrastructure, mobile applications