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Tech Topics In This Article: Atlanta startups, fintech startups
Ditch, the Atlanta-based fintech startup, has evolved significantly since launching as an AI-powered debt companion. Now, founder Luis Andino told Hypepotamus that the company is “starting to feel product-market fit” as it moves into the enterprise space and expands its suite of financial tools.
Ditch’s initial consumer-facing app helped users tackle debt (Hypepotamus article on the early-stages of the company can be read here), but a key insight reshaped the fintech’s consumer-facing strategy moving forward.
“People are repelled by subscription fees,” Andino told Hypepotamus at Ditch’s office at Atlanta Tech Village – Buckhead. The original model also required users to actively log in and engage with the app, meaning Ditch had to compete for attention with platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
Last year the Ditch team started focusing on building out its round up tool, which enables users to make small payments towards their liabilities like credit card balances, student loans, and car payments every time they swipe their card. The goal is to help people make paying down debt easier.
That is particularly important in 2025, as household debt has reached an all-time high of $18.04 trillion, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Ditch rolled out its new roundup product in May 2024, which Andino said “took off on its own” with users. Unlike other financial and debt management platforms out there, Ditch provides a personalized debt repayment strategy for each user.
To date, Ditch has accumulated 10,000 active users. 65% of those users downloaded Ditch organically, highlighting how the app is resonating with young professionals looking to be more proactive about their financial obligations.
Taking Financial Wellness to the Workplace
Now, the team is focused on breaking into the enterprise world with a new employee debt match program. Similar to a 401(k) matching program, Ditch allows employers to match portions of their employees’ contributions they are making towards paying down consumer debt.
Companies of all sizes can integrate Ditch’s solution, with pricing starting at $1 per employee per month. Instead of a monthly subscription model, Ditch generates revenue by taking a percentage of each roundup transaction.
Early adopters of Ditch’s enterprise-focused program include HR and payroll company UKG.
Investors have taken note. Ditch, which is run by Andino (in featured photo) and Co-founder Eli Curtin, has raised just under $1 million from Atlanta angels and institutional investors, according to Andino.
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