Cinch Financial co-founders Sean Collins and Joe Ranft visited the Startup Institute last week to talk to us about an app they are developing called Billsnap.
Check out the fellas here.
Check out the app here.
The app is for people who want to lower their bills (who doesn’t), but who would rather gouge their eyes out than review plans, read fine print, get bombarded by sales calls, or gather up their detailed information for professionals who can help.
No gouging necessary.
Enter: Billsnap.
You take a picture of your bill, Cinch gathers all the info from that bill, and then, drawing from their personal wisdom, extensive research, and collected data, they present you with options for lowering costs and increasing benefits.
Yes I said personal wisdom.
I didn’t just like the idea. I liked the fellas.
Here’s four reasons why:
Reason 1:
They’re not about the money.
They’re about your money.
But most importantly, they’re about not gouging your eyes out. They get how painful it is to manage finances when you have limited knowledge and limited time.
(I’m sorry. I know the eye gouging is grotesque and rather medieval, but it just feels right.)
Reason 2:
Sean mentioned that when looking for a partner, he knew he was not looking for a technical person. And not for a financial person. Yes it’s a financial services mobile application. But it’s about the user’s experience. Minimizing their stress. Doing the work for them. Saving their eyes. He expressed gratitude in that Joe is that guy for him.
Reason 3:
Sean emphasized the importance of finding someone who has very different skills from yours. This is not the first time I’ve heard this from a successful person.
We often are drawn to people with whom we have things in common. You have that common language with them, communication and productivity gets off to a head start and naturally flows.
But seeking out someone with opposite skills from you is key. That doesn’t mean their values are different from yours. Plus, while it may take a little bit longer to develop a common language, it’s totes m’gotes worth it. Because shared values leads to a more coherent mission. And differing skills leads to a more robust fulfillment of that mission.
Reason 4:
The fact that they warmed up their hands over the fire before talking to us. And by fire I mean the painting of a fire we have on the wall behind where they sit.
Reason 5:
“If anyone holds information, then run for the hills.”
Sean was talking about the startup mindset. Startups are not about competition. They’re about collaboration. The system thrives when people share information and build off of it for the sake of making an improvement. Not when they hoard and protect it.