Why start with software first
“we started with the point of sale because software easier than hardware from an iteration perspective, from a deployment perspective, from a hiring perspective, from a cost perspective.”
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How Cents Built a $60M Laundry Software and Payments Platform With 80 PeopleCents CEO Alex Jekowsky explains how an all-in-one software, hardware and payments platform for laundromats reached $60M in revenue with 99% customer retention.
Alex Jekowsky · Cents
Published September 17, 2026Explore the lesson. Sign in to access the resource library.
Alex Jekowsky, co-founder and CEO of Cents, explains how the all-in-one software, hardware and payments platform for laundromats reached $60M in revenue last year with about 80 employees and above 20% EBITDA margins. He covers 99% customer retention, the $140M Series C and employee tender, and why custom payment hardware is a margin product that attaches SaaS and payments.
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“we started with the point of sale because software easier than hardware from an iteration perspective, from a deployment perspective, from a hiring perspective, from a cost perspective.”
“I challenge that by industry because if your if your first customer is a big enterprise customer, they tend to be invested in your success.”
“if the EBITDA margin isn't there, you become a zombie where at a $120,000,000 of revenue, you're worth less than you were at 50.”
“we did a series c close of a 110,000,000 and a $30,000,000 tender.”
“every hardware device that goes out there has SaaS and payments attached to it.”
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