Banking fees are a problem, plain and simple. On average Americans pay nearly $200 per year. Through surveying STASH customers, we found they too are troubled by fees. The tension became obvious, and we attacked it.

The status quo just isn't working for Americans. It's post-apocalyptic. We all remember 2008. We want to give people banking, saving and investing tools built to help them. Not profit off them.

We set out to make something lofty and exciting—something that people could rally behind, and in turn feel like they were a part of something bigger than themselves. So we looked to our revolutionary inspirations. Blade Runner's moody future. The vast neon signage of 1990s Hong Kong—but paired with a flip on John Carpenter's They Live. And Apple 1984 as our North Star.

We decided to tell the story of a hero fighting for change in a world of darkness—and the starting of a faction of hope.