# FastSpring

> E-commerce software company for online sales

**Wikidata**: [Q16975763](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16975763)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/fastspring

## Summary
FastSpring is an e-commerce software company that provides online sales solutions. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Santa Barbara, United States, it operates as a business in the software as a service (SaaS) industry.

## Key Facts
- **Official Name:** FastSpring
- **Core Business:** E-commerce software for online sales
- **Legal Structure:** Instance of a business
- **Year Founded:** 2005
- **Headquarters Location:** Santa Barbara, United States
- **Primary Industry:** Software as a service (SaaS)
- **Official Website:** http://www.fastspring.com (English language)
- **Twitter Handle:** @fastspring; had 2,814 followers as of June 15, 2020, and 2,858 followers as of January 5, 2021.
- **Facebook Page:** fastspring
- **Crunchbase Organization ID:** fastspring
- **Quora Topic ID:** FastSpring-1
- **gamesindustry.biz Tag:** companies/fastspring
- **Freebase ID:** /m/0ynwlp_
- **Logo:** Available at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/FastSpring_logo.png

## FAQs
**What does FastSpring do?**
FastSpring develops and provides e-commerce software designed to facilitate online sales for businesses. Its platform functions as a software as a service (SaaS) solution for processing transactions over the internet.

**Where is FastSpring based?**
The company is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, United States. This location is consistently cited as its primary place of business.

**When was FastSpring founded?**
FastSpring was established in the year 2005, as documented in its foundational records.

**Is FastSpring active on social media?**
Yes, FastSpring maintains official presences on Twitter (@fastspring) and Facebook (fastspring). Follower counts for its Twitter account were recorded at 2,814 in mid-2020 and 2,858 in early 2021.

**What type of company is FastSpring classified as?**
It is classified within the software as a service (SaaS) industry and is formally recognized as an instance of a business entity.

## Why It Matters
FastSpring provides a critical infrastructure layer for digital commerce by offering a SaaS platform that handles the complexities of online payment processing, checkout, and sales fulfillment. This allows businesses, particularly those selling digital goods and software, to outsource their e-commerce operations and focus on product development and marketing. Its longevity since 2005 indicates a sustained role in enabling online transactions, serving as a behind-the-scenes utility for merchants who need a reliable, compliant, and scalable sales system without building one from scratch. The company's specific identification with the gaming industry via its gamesindustry.biz tag suggests it has carved a niche serving that sector's unique digital distribution needs.

## Notable For
- **Longevity:** Operating as an e-commerce SaaS provider since 2005.
- **Geographic Specificity:** Maintaining its headquarters in Santa Barbara, California, a notable tech hub.
- **Industry Niche:** Being tagged specifically on gamesindustry.biz, indicating a recognized presence or client base within the video game industry.
- **Data Consistency:** Having its core description ("E-commerce software company for online sales") consistently mirrored across its Wikidata entry and raw description.
- **Platform Presence:** Maintaining verified, long-standing social media accounts and profiles on major business data platforms like Crunchbase and Quora.

## Body

### History and Foundation
FastSpring was incorporated and began operations in 2005. This inception date is a fixed property in its structured data. The company established its headquarters in Santa Barbara, United States, a location that remains its primary base of operations. Its foundational purpose has consistently been defined as providing e-commerce software for online sales.

### Business Classification and Operations
The entity is formally classified as an **instance of a business**. Its primary **industry** is **software as a service (SaaS)**, meaning it delivers its e-commerce platform via subscription or usage-based models over the internet. Its core product is a suite of tools for processing online payments, managing checkout flows, handling tax compliance, and delivering digital goods, serving as a merchant of record for its clients.

### Digital Presence and Properties
FastSpring's **official website** is `http://www.fastspring.com`, with its primary content language being English. Its corporate **logo** is publicly archived on Wikimedia Commons. The company maintains an active **Twitter** presence under the handle `fastspring`. Follower metrics for this account are tracked: it had 2,814 followers on June 15, 2020, and 2,858 followers on January 5, 2021. It also operates a **Facebook** page under the name "fastspring".

### Data Provenance and External Identifiers
FastSpring is cataloged in several major knowledge and business databases. It possesses a **Freebase ID** (`/m/0ynwlp_`). On **Crunchbase**, it is listed with the organization ID `fastspring`. On **Quora**, it is associated with the topic ID `FastSpring-1`. Within the gaming industry press, it is tagged on **gamesindustry.biz** under `companies/fastspring`. Its core Wikidata description is "E-commerce software company for online sales," which directly matches the provided raw description.

### References and Source Material
All structured properties are backed by specific references. The **logo**, **country** (United States), **inception** (2005), and **headquarters** (Santa Barbara) are referenced to a Wikidata item with ID `Q328`. The **Twitter** and **Facebook** properties, along with the **website** language qualifier, are referenced to a source with ID `Q648625` and a retrieval date of May 1, 2020. The **industry** classification references both `Q328` and a specific revision of the English Wikipedia article for FastSpring. The **social media followers** counts are tied to a specific entity (`P6552`: `26148296`) at the noted points in time. The **Crunchbase** identifier references the Crunchbase database item `Q10846831` and links directly to its organization page. The **Quora topic** references the Quora item `Q51711`.

## References

1. Google Knowledge Graph
2. [Crunchbase](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/fastspring)
3. Quora