Ask Katie
The friendly money app that helps people stop wasting money on fees.
Katie pays your bills straight from your own bank account — with no extra fees, ever.
An early investment opportunity · 2026 · Private
Ask Katie
The Problem
People pay money just to get by
And the apps that claim to help actually make money off that stress.
$12.1B
paid every year in overdraft fees — the charge your bank adds when you spend more than you have
$2.4B
paid every year in payday-loan fees — small short-term loans that cost a fortune
Over 100%
the true yearly cost of many “free” apps that give you a bit of your paycheck early
Tens of millions of people run out of money before their next paycheck. When they do, today’s “helpful” apps nudge them into fees and advances that end up costing as much as the payday loans they claim to replace.
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Why Now
The timing is perfect
The rules just got looser
- In 2025 the government removed a planned limit on overdraft fees
- It also dropped new rules on cash-advance and “buy now, pay later” apps
- So these fees are legal, common, and growing — the problem is getting bigger
People now trust talking to AI
- More than half of US adults have already used AI to ask money questions
- But almost no money app lets you simply talk to it — that lane is wide open
- What wins people over is trust, not gimmicks
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The Solution
Meet Katie
A money coach you can talk to out loud. She pays your bills straight from your own bank account — with no fees — and she never lends you money or charges interest.
“Manage your money so well you never need a payday loan, an overdraft, or ‘buy now, pay later’ again.”
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What It Does
What Katie does for you
1
Talk to Katie
Just ask about your money out loud — like texting a smart friend, but you can speak, and she answers by name.
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Pays your bills — free
Moves your own money from your bank to whoever you owe. No fees, no borrowing, no catch.
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Warns you early
Tells you before a bill is late or your balance gets too low — morning, noon and night — so you avoid fees.
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Shows what’s safe to spend
Finds forgotten subscriptions, tracks bills, and shows how much you can safely spend before payday.
It’s built and working today at askkatie.app.
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See It In Action
What people actually use
Two taps away: talk to Katie, and see exactly what’s safe to spend.
🔊
Hi Scott! 👋 I’m Katie, your personal money coach. Let’s get you set up in about 3 minutes — I’ll walk you through everything step by step. Ready?
Step 1 of 11 — Welcome
🔊 Tap to hear Katie
Got it! →
🏠Dashboard
🧾Bills
🛡️Buffer
•••More
Talk to KatieVoice or text — she answers by name
Good morning, Scott 👋
Safe to spend
$742
until payday · Fri, Jul 17 — after upcoming bills
Upcoming bills
🏠Dashboard
🧾Bills
🛡️Buffer
•••More
Know what’s safe to spendBalance, bills and buffer at a glance
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Why We Win
No one else does all three
You can talk to it
A real money coach you speak to — not just another chart-filled app.
Pays bills from your own money
For free. We never lend or charge interest. No other talking money app does this.
Built to kill junk fees
Designed so you never need overdraft, payday loans, or “buy now, pay later.”
We’re the honest one — here’s the proof:
- Cleo was fined $17 million by the government for hiding fees
- Dave and Brigit faced government action and paid back millions to customers
- Deferit charges people $180–$300 a year just to pay their own bills
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The Opportunity
A huge, growing need
$30B+
spent on money apps every year, growing fast
$32B/yr
handed to cash-advance apps by people short on cash
$14B+/yr
lost to overdraft and payday fees — money we help people keep
Every dollar someone wastes on these fees is a dollar Katie helps them keep. It’s a very large problem that just got bigger — which means a lot of people need exactly what we offer.
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How We Make Money
How we earn — the honest way
$5.99 a month
A simple monthly subscription for the coaching, reminders, and bill-paying.
A premium option later
An upgraded plan with extra features for people who want more.
Selling to employers
Offering Katie to companies as a perk for their workers — one deal signs up many people at once.
We never charge you to move your own money.
No “tips,” no “instant” fees — the exact opposite of the apps getting fined. Our income comes from a fair subscription, never from the money you’re trying to protect. That keeps our promise true and keeps us out of trouble.
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Early Signs It’s Working
Momentum before spending a dollar
50
people already signed up and waiting to use it
Live
the app is built and running today at askkatie.app
$0
spent on advertising so far — all word of mouth
We’re turning these first users into loyal regulars, then scaling paid growth once loyalty is proven — growth built on people who stay, not on ad spend.
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The Growth Plan
How we grow to $5 million a year
$5 million a year is a 4–5 year target. We get there by keeping the customers we win and growing through word of mouth and employer partnerships — durable, low-cost growth, not cash burned on advertising.
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The Team
Founder-led, moving fast
Scott Daniels — Founder
Built the entire Ask Katie app — the talking money coach, the free bill-paying, and the mission to end junk fees. Lean and fast-moving. The investment pays for the first team members: an engineer, a marketer, and a compliance expert.
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For Investors · The Terms
Investment options
Minimum investment: $10,000. Two ways to earn — pick one, or blend both.
Option A — Ownership: own a share of the company, paid when we’re sold or go public. Biggest upside, longest wait.
Option B — Revenue share: paid back 2× from a slice of monthly revenue over ~3–4 years, plus a small ownership stake.
| You invest | Own — Option A | If sold for $20M | If sold for $50M | Option B: paid back |
|---|
| $10,000 min | 0.4% | $80,000 | $200,000 | $20,000 |
| $25,000 | 1.0% | $200,000 | $500,000 | $50,000 |
| $50,000 | 2.0% | $400,000 | $1,000,000 | $100,000 |
| $100,000 | 4.0% | $800,000 | $2,000,000 | $200,000 |
What that gets you — beyond the return:
Every backer: lifetime free Katie premium, quarterly investor updates, early access to new features, and founding-supporter recognition in the app.
$25K+ a strategy call with the founder & early say on features · $50K+ advisor recognition & a priority feedback line · $100K+ an informal advisor / board-observer seat & a direct line to the founder
How we set the price: we’re raising $250,000 for 10% of the company — that sets the $2,500,000 value ($250,000 ÷ 10% = $2.5M). It’s in line with comparable early fintech rounds, and it’s a starting point we finalize with investors.
Option A offers the biggest payoff at a sale; Option B returns cash steadily as we grow — and many investors choose a blend. Either way, the founder keeps majority ownership and control.
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For Investors · Try It
See what your investment could return
Type an amount and a possible sale price — the numbers update instantly.
Option A — Ownership (paid at a sale)
You would own — of the company
—
—
Option B — Revenue share (paid as we grow)
Paid back from a slice of revenue over ~3–4 years
—
2× your investment · plus a small ownership stake
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What We're Asking For
We’re raising $250,000 to get started
This is the earliest, smallest round of startup investment — using a “SAFE,” a simple, standard, founder-friendly agreement widely used for early companies.
Legal & licenses
Set up the company properly and meet the money-app rules
Finish the product
Turn on real bill-paying and own our technology
A small marketing test
Prove advertising works, then scale it up
Founder’s time
Work on this full-time through launch
What it gets us to: bill-paying live, and proof that people stick around — ready for a bigger investment round.
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