South Pas High Alum Succeeds With Google

It's a common scenario: You're scouring your wallet looking for that punch card that allows you to buy 10 meals and get one free. But you can't find it. So the cashier gives you a new one, and you start all over. 

That's the digital idea behind Punchd: A company acquired by Google in July and created by a small group of Poly Tech grads—including  alum Xander, aka Alex, Pollock.  

Pollock is a designer and co-founder with Punchd, which makes loyalty cards smart phone-accessable. 

Patch caught up with Pollock, who's now working for Google, to find out more about Punchd and his roots in South Pas. 

What year did you graduate from South Pas High School?

I graduated from SPHS in 2006.

I hear South Pas people know you as Alex. Why the change of your name?

I started going by "Xander" because in college my randomly paired roommates name was Alex, and there was an Alex that lived next door. I was in a public speaking class and the professor asked us what we wanted to be called, not what our name was. I adopted the nickname "Xander" in the class and it kind of stuck, and grew outside that one class. 

Tell us about Punchd. What is it?

Punchd takes paper loyalty cards (the buy-10-get-one-free cards you get at coffee shops), and puts them on iPhone and Android. 

How'd your classmates come up with the idea? 

Reed Morse [founder] was frustrated with all the paper cards in his wallet, and turned atoms to bits to fix it. 

What's your role in the company? 

I'm a designer, so I make sure that Punchd looks good, works well, and has an awesome user experience for customers and shop owners.

How long have you all been working on the project?

We were only working on Punchd full-time for about five months before we were acquired by Google, but Punchd had been around for about a year before that date.

How did you guys form a relationship with Google? Did they come to you?

Google found us. They're good at finding anything and everything, I guess.

Do you visit South Pas often? What's you favorite place in the community?

I don't visit South Pasadena often because my parents and friends have moved.  is the best burger spot, and I have so many great memories at  

Punchd will likely become part of the new Google Wallet system helping turn phones into virtual wallets with stored payment cards, receipts and customer loyalty rewards, according to SanLuisObispo.com. 

To learn more about the history of Punchd, you can read the full SanLuisObispo.com story here. 

For the latest from the Punchd team, follow them on Twitter here.