Qwik

Our founder is up to a big challenge! ??

Fintech Meetup, Vegas ? I flew to the Fintech Meetup for one day and one reason… Not the panels. Not the keynotes. But for the real conversations that drive our industry forward. And there were two incredible conversations that stood out above all: Pouya Tehranian from Kard — about how a strong rewards program can transform the student experience. With thousands of merchants on board, they’re building a scalable cashback system that shifts the power back where it truly belongs — the students. Jose Del Real from Knot — who’s making manual card updates for students a thing of the past. No more manually updating Netflix, Amazon, and other subscriptions — students can switch everything to Qwik with one click. Both understand the struggles of the student experience because they’ve lived it. I have too. Our relationships are built on a foundation of shared lived experiences — and powerful conversations like these are shaping the future of student finance. People are finally waking up to the fact that the traditional banking system for students is broken. If we missed each other in Vegas or if you want to talk about the future of student finance? — drop me a message and let’s chat. ????

?? Fintech Interview with Benjamin Albert, Founder of Qwik ?? Q: What do you do? ?? Hey, I’m Benjamin, Founder of Qwik! ???? We help students bank and build credit in the U.S., making financial independence easier for young people. ?? Many international students & young adults struggle with credit access when they arrive in the U.S.—so we built Qwik to change that! ?? Q: Is this the Qwik Card? How does it work? ? Yes, this is the Qwik Card! ???? ?? Students fund their account, and that amount becomes their credit limit. ?? They can spend within that limit just like a regular credit card. ?? At the end of the month, we report their payments to the credit bureaus to help them build their credit score. ???? ?? Bonus: They earn cashback rewards while they spend! ???? ?? The goal? Helping students build healthy financial habits while giving them access to a system that usually locks them out. Q: What’s your big focus for 2025? ?? GROWTH, GROWTH, GROWTH! ?? We launch in a month, and our #1 priority is to gain traction & onboard users. ?? By the end of 2025, we aim to have thousands of students actively using Qwik. ?? Our strategy? Engagement-focused marketing, partnerships with universities, and a seamless user experience that makes banking fun, simple, and rewarding. Q: What’s one key insight most people don’t realize about fintech apps? ?? Narrative + UX = Success! ?? Many fintech apps focus too much on function and forget about experience. ?? For students, the app must be: ? Fun – because banking shouldn’t feel like homework! ? Engaging – gamification & rewards keep users interested. ? Intuitive – simple, sleek, and frictionless UX. ?? Especially when targeting Gen Z, you need to build a financial product that feels like social media—not a spreadsheet! Q: You’ve experienced the challenges firsthand—how did that shape Qwik? ?? “I remember when I first moved to the U.S., I couldn’t even get a car!” ?? “Same here! I struggled to rent an apartment because I had no credit history.” ?? Credit is EVERYTHING in the U.S.—but many people don’t realize how hard it is for newcomers to access it. ?? My goal with Qwik is simple: Give students the tools I wish I had when I arrived. Q: AI is the big buzz. How does Qwik use it? ?? AI is a game-changer for financial literacy! ?? Smart Budgeting & Spending Plans ?? AI helps students create budgets & manage their spending. ?? It offers real-time financial insights—teaching them how to manage money wisely. ?? Meet Bailey! ?? ?? Our AI-powered chatbot, Ask Bailey, is like a personal finance assistant. ?? Students can ask Bailey anything about their spending habits, transactions, and budgeting. ?? Bailey provides smart insights into where their money is going and how they can save. ?? AI isn't just about automation—it’s about education. We’re helping students build strong financial habits for life. #Fintech #DigitalBanking #BankingInnovation #FinancialInclusion #CreditBuilding

Proud to announce the launch of our new website! A major milestone in our journey to not only financially empower but educate students too. The website is a valuable source of information for students to learn about finances at a level appropriate for them — no complex jargon, no agenda! The design process took far longer than anticipated and wasn’t a straightforward affair. As with everything, I didn’t want to half *ss anything and rush things out before it’s ready. With UX being so important, the last thing students want is a clunky, buggy website to get lost on. It took multiple weeks and many back & forths — everything had to make sense for our users and align with our values. We’re building a fun, easy-to-use, GenZ friendly app, so we needed a website to match! I’m proud to share V1 of our website which will no double be optimized and iterated many, many times as we grow. Check it out ??https://qwikcard.app/ Big thanks to the amazing Qwik team for turning this around — from product to dev to marketing, everyone pitched in to this fun project. If you have 30 seconds (yes, you!), I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. What do you like? What would you change?

Learning about credit is just as important as building credit, if not more. ?? Our newest blog post breaks down the benefits of credit-building for students. If you're looking to read up on this topic, we put together a short but comprehensive resource for you. ?? Find the link to our blog in the comments, and forward it to a friend who needs it. ?? #credit #creditcards #studentfinance #financialeducation #Qwik

Our website is live, our waitlist is growing, and we couldn't be more excited! ?? Head over to qwikcard.app/waitlist to secure your spot, and get a chance to become one of the first owners of a Qwik card! ???? #qwik #qwikcard #studentlife #budget #banking #creditcard

A first look at the Qwik app! Slick, sexy, beautiful UX — what more can you ask for! In all seriousness, I’m really proud of how V1 of our app has turned out. A few elements I love: 1. Levels! (top right) ? Built in gamification — building credit isn’t just important, it’s fun too! 2. Deposit ? Parents can transfer their monthly allowance straight onto our student’s cards — one of our best features. 3. Budget ? Budgeting is hard, especially if you’re doing it for the first time. Our visual budgeting widget makes it easier for students to track their spending — and see when they hit the red! 4. Financial tips ? We’re empowering students to get better with their finances with small, actionable tips. 5. Credit tracking ? Our #1 goal is for students to graduate with a good credit score. To do this, we make it easy to track their credit progress, utilization, and payments — all at a quick glance. I really feel like this is only the bare minimum of what we can offer. Still, we’ve got a great starting point to build on — more offerings, reward schemes, and financial education resources to come! Big big thanks to the amazing Qwik dev team for turning this one around so fast. I had the vision but it’s the awesome team that brought it to life, truly grateful to have them around. Follow along so you don’t miss out! P.s. What are your first impressions? Honest answers only!

I just hit 3K followers! ?For all the newcomers, let me reintroduce myself… I’m Benjamin! Fintech nerd and Founder of Qwik. I’m also a 4x Founder with 10+ years experience leading tech startups. The idea for Qwik came when I moved from the UK to US a year ago. Without a US credit score. I couldn’t open a bank account, rent an apartment, or furnish an apartment through a payment plan. It was rough. I’m on a mission to help 15 million US college students build their credit scores early, so they don’t have those same problems when they graduate. Qwik is a Fintech startup that offers students a path to build credit in the US, completely risk-free. With built-in gamification, financial resources and tools, and an attractive rewards program, our app empowers students to be credit-confident, financially independent, and socially responsible. I believe in hard work, the power of tech to solve problems, and a good whiskey after a long day ?? If you want to talk Fintech, partnerships with Qwik, or just say hi – send me a DM, I’d love to chat. P.s. if we haven’t met yet, introduce yourself below!

I’ve managed 50+ people. It’s obvious when employees believe in your mission, and when it’s “just a job”. No hate to the “just a job” crowd, but no room for them at Qwik. The ones who back the mission go the extra mile, perform better, and are genuinely invested in your success. That’s the culture we’re building. The moment I knew I was going to hire my UX/UI Designer: When she told me “I needed you 3 years ago”. Nicole moved from Brazil to San Francisco University and had a nightmare opening her bank account. Rishabh, our Product Manager,? moved from India to San Francisco University and had the same issue. Both have experienced the problem we solve. Both are fully invested in our mission. Little reminder: Our mission is to help students and immigrants build credit. The idea came when I moved to LA without a US credit score — I couldn’t open a bank account or rent an apartment. Qwik helps students build credit so they graduate without debt or financial mess – avoiding the difficulties I experienced when moving here. Why does it matter? If our team doesn’t love our product, how can we expect our customers to? If our team doesn’t believe in the mission, how can we expect students to? Don’t get me wrong, Nicole and Rishabh are expert UX & UI designers, and have both worked on successful Fintech apps in the past. But as a mission-based company… We’re going for mission-driven hiring. P.s. Do you prioritise mindset or skills when hiring?

2024 is the year I moved to LA, founded Qwik, and started sharing my journey on LinkedIn. A lot of change. Posting on LinkedIn doesn’t come naturally to me — it makes me uncomfortable to write things like ‘as a 4x tech founder’ or talk about different aspects of my business. I slowly started doing it for a couple of reasons: Firstly, I truly believe Qwik is going to improve lives for millions of students. Sharing our story helps us help more students, faster — and that’s important to me. Secondly, founding any business is a steep learning curve, so you learn a lot! If someone can relate to something I’ve written, learn from it, or be motivated by something I’ve done — that’s nice too. Here’s to a new year of helping students, sharing experiences, and learning plenty along the way!