Stripe Connect
What it actually means
Stripe Connect is what platforms use to enable third-party transactions. Three flavors: Standard (sub-merchant has full Stripe account), Express (Stripe-hosted onboarding, partial dashboard), Custom (platform owns the entire experience). For coaching SaaS, Connect Standard or Express means clients pay coaches directly — the platform never touches the money. This avoids platform-as-money-transmitter regulatory burden and means the coach's revenue is insulated from platform failure.
Stripe Connect is not the same as the platform charging clients and remitting to coaches. With Connect, the coach IS the merchant of record; the platform takes only its software subscription fee. Cadence uses Stripe Connect — coach revenue flows direct from clients to the coach's Stripe account, never through Cadence. Trainerize-style platforms typically don't — they handle payments and remit, which exposes coaches to platform-risk on revenue.
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