Jen Leger: Quber Is a Personal Finance App That Encourages Saving Through Gamification

QUBER is a personal finance app that encourages saving through gamification. They use education, sweepstakes, and matched savings programs to nudge people to save more.

Working with employers, they are able to help a diverse set of employees build an emergency fund and save for other short-term goals.

They have also partnered with other organizations, such as Momentum, to provide tailored matched-saving programs to those at lower income levels.

Tell us about yourself?

I have several years of experience in the gaming industry, where I learned a significant amount about psychology, behavioural science, and gamification, and how it plays into how people make decisions.

I also saw the extreme and increasing problem of how people are managing money, and living pay check to pay check, and wanted to create a tool that really changed people’s mindset with their money.

If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

There are so many opportunities and problems a fintech can solve, it’s very easy to get distracted and steer away from our company goals.

Our mantra for this year has been to stay laser-focused on our mission and question every opportunity to make sure it fits into the goals we have set forth.

What problem does your business solve?

The impact of financial stress in the workplace costs businesses millions of dollars. While employers are looking to diversify their workforce, their employee benefits still assume a traditional lifestyle.

While some employees are dreaming of retirement, others are struggling to buy their first home, pay off debt, or simply enjoy a dream vacation. We help all employees at any stage of their financial journey save more money, improve their financial literacy, and better manage their money.

What is the inspiration behind your business?

Coming out of university years ago, I developed poor habits with my money, and so I understand and empathize with people under financial stress, and am excited for each and every successful user story we hear!

We help employees develop a positive relationship with their money, change the way they manage their money, save more for emergencies, and greatly improve their financial health so they can lead happy, healthy, productive lives.

What is your magic sauce?

Poor money habits are ingrained in us for years, for most people since their first paying job. People who have developed these habits span from low income to high income yielding individuals (the size of the pay check does not matter!).

QUBER has built a gamified savings platform that works for people irregardless of their income or financial literacy level.

Employees saving with QUBER go from saving nothing to saving $200/month, they login to the app almost every other day to engage in content, and 65% of them continue to save with QUBER after a year!

We have tremendous success particularly with women and other minority demographics who’s needs are often overlooked by traditional employee financial benefits.

What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?

Our vision is to help as many employees as possible build an emergency fund and reduce their financial stress, through partnerships with Employers, Financial Institutions, and other organizations.

We believe that emergency savings and personal finance skills are just as important as retirement savings, and strive to make them a part of every employer’s benefit program.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

Employee benefit programs haven’t changed in years, and it was more difficult to get traction in the Canadian market where financial wellness benefits haven’t gained as much steam (yet).

Meanwhile in the US market, emergency savings as a benefit is becoming increasingly in demand with support from many large employers, non-profit organizations, investors, and Financial Institutions, and so in 2022 we made the move to launch QUBER as a financial wellness benefit in the US.

We’ve since launched the program with 2 large, global employers and are in discussions with many others!

How do people get involved/buy into your vision?

We want to talk to Employers or Financial Institutions who are looking to augment their benefits program with an inclusive financial wellness benefit that is proven to reduce the financial stress their employees are under.

Let’s talk and see how we can work together (contactus@quber.ca or visit www.qubersavings.com).