The idea for Hands In came to me during my first year of university when my flat mates and I were moving in.

Each of us ended up buying our own groceries, kitchen appliances, and other necessities separately. Curious about this fragmented approach and eager to save money for our outings, I confronted my friends one evening and asked why we were doing things this way. Wouldn't it be simpler to pool our money together and split the expenses evenly?
They explained that no one wanted to take on the responsibility of upfronting the payment, keeping track of expenses, and chasing others for their share.
But it was during our attempt to book a holiday in Ibiza that the problem became even more evident. The group dynamics and frustrations intensified due to the higher costs of flights, hotels, and tickets. Since no one had the funds to pay for everything upfront, we needed a solution that allowed us to split the payment. However, we couldn't find a booking platform that enabled us to do so simultaneously, without relying on one person to handle the entire transaction.

This experience made me wonder how many others were facing the same issue. During a conversation with friends at a pub, I discovered that this was a consistent problem in their lives as well. I dreamt of a simpler solution, one that could aggregate individual payments at the checkout, eliminating the need for any individual to front a large sum of money.
As a member of the Enterprise Centre at my university, I sought advice on building a solution for this problem. They encouraged me to gather feedback from individuals within the travel sector, and they connected me with local travel agencies and even a representative from Visa.

The travel agencies acknowledged the problem, recognizing that they were likely losing sales due to failed payments (approximately 20% in the travel industry) caused by insufficient funds. However, the internal resources required to build such a solution were beyond their reach. They sought an off-the-shelf solution, ideally integrated with their existing payment providers.

As I delved deeper into the travel sector, gathering feedback from local travel agencies and Visa representatives, it became evident that a comprehensive solution was in high demand. Travel agencies recognized the potential sales they were losing due to failed payments, and the complexity of legacy systems posed a challenge for established players like Visa.

This realization fueled my entrepreneurial spirit and motivated me to bridge all the elements together through a powerful technology solution. My goal was clear: to create a seamless and efficient payment platform that would not only make travelers happier but also unlock incredible commercial potential for all stakeholders involved.