Thomas Priore’s Priority Tech Ventures Targets Payroll Market with Strategic Rollfi Acquisition

Priority CEO Thomas Priore expands into payroll technology through Priority Tech Ventures, acquiring Rollfi to capture embedded finance opportunities in non-discretionary business services. 

The embedded finance revolution is reshaping how businesses access financial services, and Priority CEO Thomas Priore is positioning his company at the center of this transformation through strategic acquisitions targeting non-discretionary business services. Priority’s recent acquisition of payroll technology platform Rollfi exemplifies this approach, as the company expands its Priority Tech Ventures arm to capture opportunities in the growing embedded payroll market. This strategic expansion comes as Priority reported strong Q2 2025 performance, with 62% of adjusted gross profit now derived from recurring revenue sources, demonstrating the effectiveness of Thomas Priore’s vision for unified commerce solutions. 

Thomas Priore’s Strategic Vision for Non-Discretionary Business Services 

The January 2025 acquisition of Rollfi represents a cornerstone of Thomas Priore’s expansion strategy through Priority Tech Ventures, the company’s investment and incubation arm. Rollfi provides white-label payroll and benefits solutions that enable banks, vertical SaaS companies, and fintechs to offer embedded payroll services through robust APIs. The acquisition directly addresses what Thomas Priore identifies as a critical market need, as he explained during Priority’s Q2 earnings call: “We are able to find platforms at attractive prices that fit well into our core customer base—like payroll and benefits (Rollfi), and like our Prisma product, where we’ve been able to build out a presence in property management.” 

Priore’s investment thesis centers on targeting essential business functions that companies cannot eliminate during economic downturns. “All these (especially payroll and benefits) are non-discretionary; every business needs them,” he noted during the earnings call. This strategic focus reflects a deep understanding of business fundamentals—while companies may reduce marketing spending or delay equipment purchases during challenging times, they must continue paying employees and managing benefits. The acquisition brings more than just technology to Priority’s ecosystem. Rollfi’s founder Kirubha Perumalsamy joined Priority as Executive Vice President to lead integration efforts, ensuring seamless incorporation of the platform’s capabilities. According to the company’s announcement, Rollfi offers embedded payroll solutions designed to integrate seamlessly with existing business platforms. 

Priority’s property management strategy through its Prisma platform demonstrates Thomas Priore’s ability to optimize existing assets while expanding market reach. The platform represents a strategic evolution of Priority’s existing property management capabilities, targeting the fragmented rental market where individual landlords and small property management companies seek comprehensive financial solutions. 

Thomas Priore’s executive leadership team has structured Priority Tech Ventures to identify and acquire platforms where collecting, storing, lending, and sending money represent a core component of the value chain. This approach aligns with his broader philosophy of creating comprehensive financial ecosystems rather than point solutions. As Thomas Priore explained in a previous interview with Billion Success, the company focuses on “creating better payments and banking experiences through technology because cash flow and working capital are necessary to run a business well.” 

Priority Tech Ventures operates under the leadership of Thomas Priore as CEO and Eliot Buchanan as President, leveraging their combined expertise in payments and financial technology. The division focuses on identifying early-stage and growth-stage companies that complement Priority’s connected commerce vision while serving markets with substantial profit pools and growth potential. 

Embedded Finance Consolidation Creates Acquisition Opportunities 

The embedded finance landscape is experiencing unprecedented consolidation, creating opportunities for strategic fintechs like Priority to capture market share at attractive valuations. Industry observers have noted significant transaction activity, with major players seeking to expand their capabilities through acquisitions that enhance their platform offerings. 

Thomas Priore’s acquisition strategy emphasizes both timing and integration capabilities. “You buy it at the right price point, you get it into the sales funnel and you incentivize really strong sales teams that deliver, you can just see those results in small business growth,” he explained during the Q2 earnings call. This approach reflects Priority’s advantage as an established platform with 1.6 million existing customer relationships and distribution channels through over 1,100 reselling partners. 

The competitive landscape in embedded payroll includes established players like ADP and Paycom, along with emerging platforms seeking to capture market share through innovative technology and strategic partnerships. However, Thomas Priore positions Priority’s connected commerce approach as a differentiator, enabling businesses to access payroll services alongside payment processing, banking, and accounts payable functions through a single platform. This integration reduces complexity for business owners while creating stronger customer relationships. 

Market dynamics favor consolidation as regulatory requirements increase and customer expectations evolve toward comprehensive solutions. Priority’s strategy of acquiring platforms with proven technology and customer bases, then integrating them into Priority’s broader ecosystem, positions the company to capture market share as this transformation accelerates. 

Priority’s success in transforming its revenue mix provides evidence of Thomas Priore’s strategic vision. The company’s shift toward recurring revenue streams, now representing 62% of adjusted gross profit, demonstrates the sustainability of the embedded finance model. This transformation has been recognized by industry analysts and publications, with Forbes naming Priority among America’s Most Successful Small-Cap Companies for 2025. 

Looking ahead, Thomas Priore indicated during the Q2 earnings call that Priority Tech Ventures will continue identifying acquisition opportunities in vertical markets with large profit pools. The company’s recent debt refinancing provides additional capital for strategic investments, while its proven integration capabilities reduce execution risk. As traditional boundaries between payments, banking, and vertical software continue dissolving, Thomas Priore’s connectedcommerce vision positions Priority to benefit from the ongoing transformation of business financial services. 

Embedded finance represents more than technological advancement; it reflects fundamental changes in how businesses operate and manage financial functions. Thomas Priore’s strategic positioning through Priority Tech Ventures demonstrates understanding of these shifts, creating a platform capable of delivering comprehensive financial solutions as markets continue consolidating around platform winners.