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Case Study / Mobile App / FinTech / MVP

FinTech Startup
MVP Launch

From napkin sketch to App Store in 4 months. A gamified savings app that makes building wealth feel like play.

4.8 Rating
50K+ Downloads
Finance app on smartphone
$
$
50K Downloads (Year 1)
4.8 App Store Rating
4mo Idea to Launch
$2.1M Seed Funding Raised
The Challenge

Make Saving
Feel Fun

The founders of PennyWise had a clear vision: most savings apps feel like homework. Budgets, spreadsheets, guilt trips about that morning coffee. They wanted something different.

What if saving money felt more like a game? What if you could compete with friends, earn achievements, and actually look forward to checking your progress?

They had the idea. They had early investor interest. What they needed was a product - and fast. The window to capture the market wouldn't stay open forever.

The Journey

4 Months. Zero Shortcuts.

1

Month 1

Discovery, user research, architecture planning, design system

2

Month 2

Core app development, Plaid integration, gamification engine

3

Month 3

Social features, notifications, beta testing with 200 users

4

Month 4

Polish, App Store prep, marketing site, LAUNCH!

Key Features

What We Built

Smart Goals

AI-powered savings goals that adapt to spending patterns and suggest realistic timelines.

Achievements

Unlock badges for milestones, streaks, and challenges. Shareable cards for social bragging.

Squad Goals

Save with friends. Group challenges, leaderboards, and collective milestone celebrations.

Round-Ups

Automatically round up purchases and save the difference. Painless micro-saving.

Bank-Level Security

256-bit encryption, biometric auth, and FDIC-insured partner banks. Trust is non-negotiable.

Smart Nudges

Motivational notifications that actually help. No spam, just encouragement when you need it.

Built With

Tech Stack

React Native Plaid API Firebase Node.js PostgreSQL Stripe RevenueCat Amplitude
The Work

Screens That Convert

SAVE + PLAY   SAVE + PLAY   

"We pitched investors with an idea. Four months later, we pitched them with 50,000 users and a 4.8-star rating. That's the power of the right team."

Sarah Kim & David Park Co-Founders, PennyWise
The Results

From MVP to
Market Leader

  • 50,000+ downloads in year one

    Organic growth driven by word-of-mouth and App Store features. CAC was 60% below projections.

  • 4.8 star rating maintained

    Featured in "Apps We Love" on iOS and "Editors' Choice" on Android. Users genuinely love the experience.

  • $2.1M seed round closed

    Traction from the MVP launch helped secure funding from tier-1 fintech investors within 6 months.

  • 78% monthly active retention

    Gamification actually works. Users keep coming back because saving feels rewarding, not restrictive.

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Ready to Launch?

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