RampMeDaddy

USC, Marshall School of Business

Industry: Global Payments

MBA Founding Student Name(s): Andrey Chabanov

Brief Description of Solution: Global Payments via Telegram

Funding Dollars: $300K

What led you to launch this venture? RampMeDaddy started from a simple but powerful idea: make financial services as accessible as sending a message. At Consensus 2024 Hackathon, we saw the potential to integrate financial tools directly into Telegram, a platform with over a billion users, to give underbanked communities access to essential financial services globally. Our quick traction and clear demand in beta validated this vision, inspiring us to expand from a crypto on-ramp into a comprehensive digital wallet solution that’s intuitive, affordable, and accessible to all.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? Our biggest accomplishment so far has been achieving over $300K in transaction volume within the first three weeks of our beta launch, with around 300 users, many of whom were repeat customers. This rapid traction validated our product-market fit and demonstrated the strong demand for a digital wallet seamlessly integrated into Telegram. Winning the Consensus 2024 Hackathon and securing support from the Stellar Foundation, Draper University and the USC Marshall/Greif Incubator further reinforced our vision, setting a solid foundation for growth.

What has been the most significant challenge you’ve faced in creating your company and how did you solve it? Our most significant challenge is building trust and simplicity into a complex product. Integrating financial services within Telegram requires balancing robust security with a seamless user experience, especially for users new to digital finance. To address this, we use AI-driven onboarding and support to make complex processes—like identity verification and crypto on-ramping—as easy as sending a message. It reassures users that we are partnering with Stellar for secure transactions, helping us create a user-friendly, secure experience that resonates with our audience.

How has your MBA program helped you further this startup venture? As an Executive MBA student at USC Marshall School of Business, the program has been invaluable in helping me drive RampMeDaddy’s growth. I’ve gained a deep understanding of the challenges in global expansion and how to strategically address them—insights that are essential as we scale. During our international trip to Asia, I connected with leaders in the banking industry in Singapore and Thailand, with whom we’re now working on strategic partnerships to expand into the ASEAN market. It’s been incredibly rewarding to apply everything I’ve learned in the MBA program directly to the day-to-day operations of RampMeDaddy, from strategic planning to partnership development.

What founder or entrepreneur inspired you to start your own entrepreneurial journey? How did he or she prove motivational to you? Blake Skadron, the founder of iTrustCapital, has been a major inspiration on my entrepreneurial journey. His relentless grit and determination to push forward, no matter the challenges or setbacks, left a lasting impact on me. Blake had a clear vision of integrating crypto into IRAs, and he pursued it with unwavering focus, overcoming countless hurdles along the way. Watching him grow iTrustCapital from a bold idea into a unicorn taught me the power of resilience and the importance of staying committed to a vision, even when the path isn’t easy.

Which MBA class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? The most valuable class for building RampMeDaddy has been Dr. Baizhu Chen’s Global Business Environment. This course provided an in-depth understanding of the global economic landscape, a critical foundation for any business with international ambitions. Through studying macroeconomic indicators, concepts, and models, I gained a global perspective essential for making informed strategic decisions. One of the biggest takeaways was the importance of understanding government policies and economic conditions to assess the best opportunities for entry or expansion. This knowledge has been instrumental as we build partnerships and evaluate growth potential in new markets.

What professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? Dr. Baizhu Chen has made a significant impact on our plans for RampMeDaddy. He took the time to deeply understand the problem RampMeDaddy addresses and its potential in the global market. Beyond his insightful advice, Dr. Chen went out of his way to connect us with key people in his network who could help us scale effectively. His guidance and support have been invaluable as we build partnerships and refine our strategy for global expansion.

How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success? Being based in Orange County, where the startup scene isn’t as active as in Los Angeles or San Francisco, I often travel to these cities to fully benefit from their startup ecosystems. However, the local support has been instrumental in RampMeDaddy’s development and early success. Programs like Draper University and the USC Marshall/Greif Startup Incubator have provided invaluable resources, mentorship, and connections with seasoned entrepreneurs and investors, which helped us sharpen our vision and build a scalable business model. Additionally, local events like WINGZ by TCVN, where I was invited to speak, gave us crucial exposure, allowing us to connect with new audiences and potential partners within the broader startup community.

What is your long-term goal with your startup? Our long-term goal with RampMeDaddy is to make financial services accessible and effortless for millions of people worldwide. We want to enable global remittances and yield opportunities to be as simple as sending a text message, empowering individuals—especially in underbanked communities—to manage their finances seamlessly. By democratizing access to these essential financial tools, we’re committed to transforming personal finance on a global scale, giving everyone the tools they need to thrive financially, regardless of location or banking access.

Looking back, what is the biggest lesson you wished you’d known before launching and scaling your venture? Looking back, there’s no single lesson that would have drastically changed our path or expedited our process—there are always things we could have done more efficiently or better. However, one key element I can’t emphasize enough is the importance of talking to clients. Customer interviews are essential for building a successful product and ensuring we’re aligned with what people truly need. I wish we had started interviewing potential clients even before launching; those early insights could have sharpened our focus and accelerated our ability to deliver exactly what our users want.