How it all started: The story of Y-Split
To make a long story short…
The wish is father to the taught, right? And this is definitely the Y-Split’s credo. The app was invented because some ambitious students were absolutely frustrated about the way they shared their houses with roommates. There were many issues with sharing various types of payments. Let’s be honest – we have all been there. Paying utility, phone or subscription bills together with a couple of other people might be a real nightmare. Same as splitting restaurant bills and other expenses.
‘Why keep struggling?’ Tunde, Boateng and Landon asked themselves. No reason behind it. And here is how the prototype of Y-Split was brought to life. The app called Cluttr, among its features, was also a handy tool for splitting payments. And this turned out to be the coolest feature of the entire application. Over 30,000 users fell in love with it and (also, it was awarded by Apple!) so three co-founders decided to dive deeper into automating split payments.
They made users never worry about splitting and getting paid back anymore – the YSplit card links to multiple bank accounts so when it is charged, everyone from the group is charged their share separately. This solves a serious issue of people constantly owing you money. The card automatically allows the user to split both regular expenses like bills and one-time payments like groceries, restaurant bills or vacation expenses.
Who’s responsible for the app?
In this case, the success was born thanks to the amazing cooperation of three students – Tunde Alao, Boateng Opoku-Yeboah and Landon Vago-Hughes. Tunde and Boateng were attending the Google internship in Mountain View together. They were roommates who realised that splitting payments should be much easier, definitely quicker and less complicated.
Landon joined them to create the first app (the above-mentioned Cluttr) and then their collaboration evolved. Tunde is a former Google software engineer, the CEO of Y-Split and a brain behind backend and frontend engineering. Boateng, the CTO of Y-Split, oversees the development and dissemination of the technology behind the app for clients and vendors to expand and grow the business. He is a real brainiac – he won two Google Creative Technology Awards at the National Science and Engineering Competitions while he was a student in the UK.
Last but not least, Landon is helping reach millions of consumers in the US with his work on user acquisition through partnerships, SEO and ads.
The trio of smart students has really done their homework well. In 2018, they even secured £50,000 in investment for their business after appearing on the Future Worlds Dragon’s Den programme (see more info here). The app might be a game-changer for those who struggle with sharing bills with friends or family. The app is now only available in the US but who knows? Sky’s the limit after all.
Is Y-Split worth global attention?
Although the app is only available in the US at the moment, it definitely has the potential to prosper overseas. Y-Split already has over 140 ratings on the AppStore with a 4.7-star average. The audience is buzzing about it – a viral TikTok video created by one of the users has had over 800,000 views and over 58,000 likes.
Global expansion might be a challenge, though. In the US, the app supports over 10,000 power, internet, waste and subscription providers so adding providers in the next markets might be a little tricky. However, it’s certain that users in any country would appreciate such a solution.
Problems with sharing expenses, both between family members and friends, are always a struggle and Y-Split is a perfect answer to such problems. Every time you start something new, it takes time to figure out what you have and how to make it work. The guys from Y-Split have understood this perfectly so in most eyes the prognoses are extremely promising. The Y-Split app may be an absolute win-win. The users receive a useful tool that solves their everyday roommate problems. The providers are paid quickly and easily.
And, finally, Tunde, Boateng and Landon – who knows what their next move will be? Will they be working on the app to add some improvements and enhancements? Will they leave it as it is and only work on international expansion? Or maybe another audacious project is already on their minds?
