PayPal Expands Blueprint Program Partners, Looks to Sign Up More

PayPal has added 15 partners to its Startup Blueprint program, expanding the network's reach to 5,000 startups.

TechStars, Lecamping, UpWest Labs and Village Capital are several of the new partners joining the program. PayPal also added its first venture capitalist partner, Kima Ventures. The program was launched in October last year with three partners.

"We knew we had to quickly add more partners to reach more of today's up-and-coming startups," says John Lunn, senior director of developer relations at PayPal, in a March 8 blog post. "Our goal is to sign up thousands of startups for the Blueprint program by the end of the year."

The Startup Blueprint program offers to waive $50,000 in processing fees for mobile or Web-based startups, plus gives them access to Blueprint events and contact with the advisor team. PayPal also launched the Braintree Ignition program, which helps U.S.-based startups building on Braintree's platform by waiving fees on the first $50,000 in processing.

EBay, PayPal's corporate parent, completed its acquisition of Braintree for $800 million in December.

"These are opportunities where startups can connect with the people who have been in the trenches," says Lunn. "It's a valuable chance to expand their network and gain make-or-break business insights from peers and seasoned entrepreneurs."

Since the program's launch, Blueprint has signed up 100 startups globally.