Fix the leak between signup and first deposit.
I run short, hands-on experiments for fintech apps that fix the verified → funded leak (AKA activation rate).
Keep reading if you've got too many signups dropping off without making a first deposit.
hello, i'm nate and i love rice :)
I've got ten years in B2C tech. Most recently led growth at Parallax (acquired by Phantom).
I'm a strategist adept at building funnels, shipping tests, and synthesizing results into a data-driven recommendation you can trust.
Tired of throwing money at marketing that doesn't stick?
If any of these sting, we should talk:
People pass KYC, then disappear. Week-one top-ups sit around 20–35% and won’t budge.
Users get spooked by fees and complex options—card, bank transfer, crypto… they freeze and leave.
Small wins die in QA: no feature flags, messy tracking; your analytics and the payment dashboard don’t agree.
Support inbox is full of complaints like: “I verified but payment failed” and “Where’s my transfer?”
I offer a 14-Day Sprint to raise activation rates by at 5-10pp. If we don't get there, I refund half and you keep all the resources.
Click here to email me :)
Money math
You’re paying CAC for verified users who never bring in a single dollar/euro.
At 50k verified/month and 25% fund, a +6pp lift = +3,000 funders.
If first deposit averages $40, that’s $120k extra entering the product in month one.
Even if half churn, it pays for our project ten times over.
What I actually change
My 14-Day Sprint starts with four simple levers—no redesigns, no six-week projects. Apart from identifying your biggest leak, I help teams:
Put the fastest option first. Show the best payment method for that country on top, with three ready buttons: $25 / $50 / $100.
Be clear with the fees and the speed, right away. One line under the amount: “Fee: $0.35 + 1.2%. Card: arrives now. Bank: arrives tomorrow.”
Save the session when a payment fails. Auto-retry once, then show a big “Try Apple Pay / Instant bank transfer” button.
Nudge gently for 48 hours. Message at 30 minutes, 24 hours, 48 hours—each time with a different method pre-selected and a one-tap $25.
See the screenshots below—this method brought funded users up 8% → 20% in 8 weeks :)
How the 14-Day Sprint works:
Day 0: 20-min kickoff. Access to analytics + a developer contact.
Days 1–2: single source-of-truth funnel; pick the biggest choke point.
Days 3–5: copy/layout changes behind a feature flag (no big builds).
Days 6–9: ship test in one geo/device; watch failures in real time.
Days 10–13: pick the winner, prep rollout + second test.
Day 14: handoff: dashboard, playbook, and next-test backlog.
Guarantee: If we don’t find a credible ≥5pp opportunity, I refund 50%. You keep the dashboard and playbook.
FAQs
“Will this raise fraud?”
We only lower friction on small, reversible first deposits. Pair with velocity limits + device/geo allow-lists. If fraud ticks up, we flip the flag.
“We don’t have engineering time.”
Most changes are copy/layout behind a flag. Typical eng ask: <8 hours total. I provide snippets.
“Our Risk team will say no.”
I bring a 1-pager: revenue upside vs. fraud exposure, with controls listed. We pick the reversible path.
“We tried everything—SEO, influencers…”
I don’t touch top-of-funnel. I fix one joint: after KYC, before money.
"Why do you have so many childlike doodles on your page?"
Because they're cute :)
So how much is the 14-Day Sprint?
€4,000 flat. Simple and light—no long-term contract, no heavy rebuild, and you can keep your current vendors.
If we don’t find a clear ≥5-point lift, I refund 50%—but you get to keep the dashboard, copy, and playbook.
Most teams cover the fee with the first wave of extra first deposits; after that, it’s upside :)
Click here to email me
Stop paying CAC for users who never fund.
