Tom Serres Press
A chat with the head of Piryx, democracy’s PayPal
09.24.09 Piryx is trying to become a one-stop shop for non-profits and politicians who are looking to raise serious cash for their causes.
Over the past decade, the Internet has become a major source of donations for political campaigns and non-profit groups. Piryx, which made its official debut at Network World's DEMOfall '09 this week, is trying to become a one-stop shop for non-profits and politicians who are looking to raise serious cash for their causes. Read the Article
13 hot products from DEMOfall '09
09.22.09
Company: Piryx, Inc.
Product: Piryx
Think of Piryx as sort of a PayPal for politics. It essentially lets users send contributions to political candidates, action committees and non-profit groups. DEMO praises the Piryx platform for bringing "smart payment processing technology to the $300+ billion non-profit sector." Read the Article
Piryx introduces the Social Commerce Platform
09.22.09The recent presidential campaign has highlighted the power of small online donations, and that has created a demand from candidates, non-profit, local governments, and other entities to have a web-platform to raise funds. It's a good idea, but most can't build anything like that themselves. That's where Piryx comes in. The platform sits on top of a payment processing system that allows money to flow in. On top of that, the platform has a CRM system that can track donors and finally, Piryx also handles the integration in social networks to find new donors. Read the Article
Piryx says PayPal’s not enough.
09.22.09 The Austin-based startup is a commerce platform for non-profits and political organizations and says there needs to be a company that focuses exclusively on the space. Like PayPal, the website is integrated with online banking software: when users sign up, they’ll enter in their bank account and routing numbers.
But it also provides a layer of services on top of that. Read the Article
Piryx raises money for your cause
09.22.09 The Piryx pitch I head in advance of DemoFall 09 may be over-reaching--the founder sees it as a competitor to PayPal--but the service itself appears solid and useful. Piryx is a payment processing system designed primarily for causes and campaigns. If you're collecting money for a political candidate, for your school's band instrument fund, or something along those lines, Piryx lets you easily set up a page to collect money from people who want to contribute and track the messages you're sending out to people via blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and so on. Read the Article
"You Lie" Brings in Bucks, Attacks
09.18.09 An Austin, Texas, tech firm that processes payments for politicians was overwhelmed first by contributions to Representative Joe Wilson, the Congressman who heckled President Obama, then by attacks from those opposed to Wilson. Read the Article
Joe Wilson’s Payments Provider Reports DDoS Attack
09.18.09 The Austin-based online payments startup Piryx reports that it was targeted in a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack yesterday due to its hosting of a fundraising campaign for Joe Wilson- the politican who made headlines this week after shouting "You Lie!" Read the Article
Six Austin companies at DEMOfall
09.22.09 Fifty-six companies were chosen from a pool of nearly 1,000 candidates to make a six-minute pitch in front of DEMO’s audience of venture capitalists, industry executives and the media.Two Austin-based companies MicroAssist and Piryx Inc.made the cut. Read the Article
Piryx Inc. Partners with Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation to Launch Cutting-Edge Online Payments Platform at DEMO
09.22.09 Piryx Inc. today unveiled at the DEMOfall 09 conference a unique social commerce platform for small businesses, non-profits, and political campaigns that takes online payment processing to the next level. The Austin-based company demonstrated the power of their new web technology by launching an online fundraising campaign for the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, a non-profit organization working to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. Read the Article
Politics magazine taps 3 Texans as rising stars
07.04.09 Jessica Colón's family grew up Republican in a Democratic town. In Pittsburgh, her great-aunt was a conservative during the New Deal-era of the 1930s. And her grandfather and other relatives were active in GOP circles – teaching her, she said, how politics "makes a difference." Read the Article
New Leaders Council selects Piryx.com CEO Tom Serres as a 2009 40 Under 40 Award Winner
06.19.09 Austin, TX - The New Leaders Council has recognized Piryx CEO Tom Serres for his hard work in empowering social and political entrepreneurship by selecting him as a 40 Under 40 Award winner. Read the Article
Microsoft Features Piryx
06.11.09 Microsoft features Piryx in their Partner Solution MarketPlace - We have been fortunate to work closely with the Microsoft team since the launch of their Bizspark program. Microsoft wrote a Case Study on how Piryx has utilized their services to save money, and be more effective. Read the Case Study
Piryx Inc. CEO to Appear on FOX and Friends for Rising Star Panel
06.02.09 Austin, TX- Piryx Inc. Founder/CEO Tom Serres will appear on FOX News' morning show, FOX and Friends, on Tuesday, June 2nd, at 8:45am EST as part of a Rising Stars panel discussion. 27-year-old Serres was named last month as a 2009 Rising Star by Campaigns & Elections’ Politics magazine. Several of the honorees, including Serres, will appear on FOX and Friends to discuss their contribution to the political world and debate current events. Read the Article
Piryx founder named Rising Star
05.21.09 Tom Serres, founder of Austin-based Piryx Inc., has been named a Rising Star by Politics magazine. Read the Article
Founder of Austin Start-Up Honored as Prestigious 2009 Rising Star
05.21.09 Austin, TX - Campaign & Elections’ Politics magazine today announced Tom Serres, Founder/CEO of Austin-based Piryx Inc, as one of the 2009 Rising Stars. One of the most prestigious honors in politics, the award goes to people 35 or under who have already made a significant mark in political consulting or advocacy. The magazine chose 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans and seven nonpartisan leaders this year out of a pool of several hundred nominees. Read the Article
Piryx Interview with ABC News
04.01.09 Audio interview with Dan Patterson from ABC News about the birth and mission of Piryx. Listen to the Interview
The Red Couch SXSW 09 Interview with Tom Serres of Piryx
03.17.09 The Red Couch is described as "We built our network for connection. For a great leap forward in knowledge and capabilities. For a collective mind that cannot be satisfied, always wanting to see and share more and more. Knowing that together our possibilities are endless. And here, on this couch, is a place to talk about those possibilities. Where the leaders of the industry can connect with an eager world about the future of the industry. To openly discuss and freely imagine all that can be." Watch the Interview
Politics, Technology, and Pop Culture
03.14.09 Politics, Technology, and Pop Culture, comprised of Lawrence Lessig of Stanford Law School, Alex Wellen, Deputy Political Director of Digital Content at CNNPolitics.com, Dan Patterson of ABC News, Tom Serres CEO of Piryx Inc, Amber Ettinger (Obama Girl) and Mark McKinnon Vice Chairman of Public Strategies Inc. Read the Article
Site Helps Amateurs Turn Politicians
03.12.09 AUSTIN - A local company is helping politicians step into the digital age. The guys behind Piryx believe e-mail, text messages and social networking sites are the new norm for campaigning. Technology is something that can't be avoided these days and 26-year-old former UT student Tom Serres has founded his business on that. Watch the Interview
Inauguration 2009: Tom Serres of Piryx on CNN
01.19.09 We are very excited to share that Tom Serres, Piryx CEO, will be on CNN Domestic, CNN International, and CNN.com tomorrow, Jan 19th. He will be speaking about use of technology in political campaigns, the Obama administration, and the government at large. Watch the Interview
Piryx January Newsletter
01.15.09 Hey Folks! The Piryx January Newsletter hit the inboxes today. We know it’s been too long since our last newsletter, but as you can imagine we’ve been keeping really busy. There is a lot of great news to share, so make sure to take a look. Thank you as always for your support! Read Newsletter
A Discussion with Tom Serres of Piryx on How Technology Is Changing Politics
01.14.09 This is part one of my interview with Piryx CEO Tom Serres. Piryx is a software that helps political newbies start and manage political campaigns. Speaking with Tom, it is clear that he is truly passionate about making entering politics easier for people who are seeking to make the world a better place. Since we all get tired of politics as usual, Piryx is a welcomed change to the political space. Read the Interview
Tom Serres on Piryx — uncoiling the long tail of politics
01.03.09 Tom Serres bootstrapped Piryx with his partners Naveed Lalani and Brian Upton — launching the company with $1k made while waiting tables 3 years ago as a college sophomore. Read the Interview
College students start new businesses
12.17.08 AUSTIN (KXAN) - More and more college students are starting their own business while in school, instead of waiting to graduate. A new program at the University of Texas is helping them out, and they are looking for mentors. Watch the Interview
Piryx to present at Rice Alliance Forum
12.11.08 Piryx was chosen as one of the companies to present at the Rice Alliance's I.T. & Web 2.0 Venture Forum. Since inception in 1999, the Rice Alliance has assisted in the launch of over 225 technology companies that have raised more than $500 million in funding. Read More
New Austin incubator seeks to help young businesses grow
11.20.08 A new Austin technology incubator wants to provide office space and mentoring to early-stage Austin startups as they get off the ground. Read the Article
Tech Ranch kicks off in growing Austin startup community
11.20.08 For years, Austin, Texas has been a hub of the semiconductor and computing industries. But the city has always been known more for its large corporations than Silicon Valley-style startup culture. Read the Article
Long Tail Politics: Sell Less of More
11.08.08 It took being a young idealist for Tom Serres to decide to run a friend’s judicial campaign. After all, the odds were 10-1 against winning—and, sure enough, his candidate didn’t pull off an upset. But Serres helped his friend run a close race, despite struggling to get voter data and make the most of a limited budget. Read the Article
Piryx to present at Singularity Summit 2008
10.25.08 We are excited to announce that Tom Serres, Piryx CEO, will be speaking today in San Jose, CA at The Singularity Summit. From the website: "The Singularity Summit gathers the smartest people around to explore the biggest ideas of our time. Learn where humanity is headed, meet the people leading the way, and leave inspired to create a better world." Read More
Piryx October Newsletter
10.24.08 Hey Folks! The Piryx October Newsletter hit the inboxes today. We’ve been traveling from DC to California spreading the Piryx mission. It is amazing to hear the amount of enthusiasm out there! So many amazing things have happened since our last newsletter, so make sure to take a look. Thank you as always for your support! Read Newsletter
Piryx Makes The Cut! SXSW 2009, Here we come!!
10.02.08 We want to take this opportunity to everyone out there who voted for our SXSW Interactive Panel discussion! Out of over 1,300 panels - we will be among 180 chosen to present! Read More
Naveed Lalani Live: The Grassroots Web Roundtable in Austin
09.25.08 Co-editor Erick Schonfeld is hosting a roundtable in Austin, Texas this afternoon to discuss the importance and history of grassroots campaigns on the web. Watch below as Ustream broadcasts it live. Read More
Piryx September Newsletter
09.15.08 Hey Folks! Piryx has been quite busy over the last month since our last email. We wanted to take this opportunity to share some of our latest news with everyone. Read Newsletter
Piryx Initiates Technology Revolution in Politics
09.02.08 Next generation politics and technology company, Piryx, Inc., today announced the launch of its Piryx.com vision site and Realpolitix.com, a non-partisan political blog about the technological revolution occurring in politics. Realpolitix.com is Piryx's first step in empowering democracy as the company aims to emerge as the leader of content and solutions that change the way people experience the election process. Read the Article
When Politics, Technology, and Virtual Worlds collide
09.02.08 It's hard to imagine life without high speed Internet, text messaging, or gaming consoles — technology is everywhere. Except a few places. Take politics, for example. Read the Article
Piryx Q&A on AustinStartup.com with Co-founder Tom Serres
08.27.08 Today’s Q&A Wednesday is with Tom Serres, founder of Piryx. The company will be launching their piryx.com and realpolitix.com websites on Friday with the goal of making technology accessible for political candidates. Read the Interview
