needs Kasheesh
After more than a decade leading product and growth at PayPal, Chris Hartley made a bold leap of joining Kasheesh as Chief Product and Operating Officer. We sat down with Chris to explore what drew him to the startup space, how his personal experiences shaped his views on financial wellness, and what the future of consumer finance looks like through his eyes.
Q: You’ve recently stepped into a dual role as CPO and COO at Kasheesh. What drew you to this company and mission, and how does it align with your personal and professional journey so far?
Chris: After more than a decade as a product strategist at PayPal, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to jump into the startup world. There’s a certain comfort in scale like the infrastructure, the predictability, and access to resources. But as I started talking with the team at Kasheesh, something shifted. With every conversation, I was struck by the clarity of purpose. Everyone, from the founders to the newest hires, shared an unwavering commitment to financial literacy and to doing right by the customer. That kind of alignment is rare. It was inspiring.
What ultimately brought me here was the opportunity to help shape a company that’s removing barriers, demystifying payments, and making financial products more accessible and transparent for all. At this stage in my career, I’m driven by impact. Kasheesh is the kind of place where you can build bold solutions, move fast, and truly change how people interact with their money.
Q: How has your personal experience shaped your perspective on financial wellness and the importance of access?
Chris: As I reflect on both my personal and professional journey, I’ve come to realize that financial wellness has always been a cornerstone in my life,even before I had the words for it. I grew up in a working-class family. My mom worked in administrative and payroll roles, and my dad ran a small flooring business. Eventually, they combined forces and built the family business together.
From a young age, I had a front-row seat to how financial decisions shaped our lives. One memory that sticks with me is a family vacation. We were planning a trip to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, and as a kid, I was just excited to go. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my dad had taken out a loan to make that trip possible. It was a sacrifice. That loan came with a high variable interest rate, and it set him back significantly. It wasn’t just a vacation, it was a financial decision that echoed long after the trip ended.
Experiences like that taught me two things: first, how deeply personal money is, and second, how limited access and lack of transparency can have lasting consequences. It’s one of the reasons I’ve become such a strong advocate for financial literacy and responsible credit. I want people to feel confident and in control of their finances and not stuck making tough choices with unclear terms or hidden costs.
Q: You’ve led product and growth at scale—most recently at PayPal. What lessons from your time there are you bringing into your leadership at Kasheesh?
Chris: It may sound simple or even cliché, but the customer has to remain at the center of everything. That’s not just good practice; it’s the foundation of strong product management. Building with empathy, curiosity, and an innovative approach to solving real problems is what creates meaningful, lasting impact.
One of the most formative chapters of my career was launching consumer financial services at PayPal. From the start, our goal was to serve the financially underserved. The people who didn’t feel seen or supported by traditional banking institutions. These were customers looking for safer, more affordable alternatives to things like payday loans, check-cashing services, or high-fee prepaid cards.
Before we launched, I made it a priority to immerse myself in the everyday challenges our customers faced. I wanted to see the world through their lens. Things many of us take for granted like cashing a paycheck, paying a utility bill, sending money to family can be incredibly difficult without access to the right financial tools or even a basic banking relationship.
That experience left a lasting impression. It taught me that the best products don’t just solve problems but they restore dignity. That’s a lesson I carry with me into my work at Kasheesh, where we’re building tools to give people greater control, flexibility, and freedom in how they manage and move their money.
Q: What do you think the future of consumer finance looks like and how is Kasheesh helping shape that future?
Chris: Regardless of your income, financial wellness is something we all struggle to manage at some point. The truth is, financial stress doesn’t discriminate. Whether you’re trying to buy your first home, pay down debt, improve your credit score, or treat yourself to a luxury item, you deserve tools and guidance that meet you where you are.
My vision for the future of consumer finance is about democratization. I want to take the work I’ve done on access and transparency and push it even further into the realm of personalized, real-time financial advice. Not just for the wealthy. Not just behind a paywall. But available to everyone.
At Kasheesh, we’re building toward that future by giving consumers greater control over how they spend by splitting purchases across multiple cards, unlocking smarter budgeting strategies, and creating a more transparent payments experience. But this is just the beginning. We’re laying the groundwork for a platform that doesn’t just facilitate transactions—it guides them. A future where your wallet is intelligent, your choices are informed, and your financial life feels less overwhelming and more empowering.
Q: When you think about your legacy—both professionally and personally—what do you hope people take away from your work?
Chris: Finances are deeply personal. They shape our relationships, our choices, our opportunities and sometimes even our sense of self-worth. As a leader in financial services, I don’t take that lightly. I want my legacy to be one of positive impact—not just on metrics or market share, but on the lives of the customers I serve.
If I can help a family navigate a financial decision that puts them one step closer to buying their first home, getting out of debt, or taking that long-awaited vacation without worry—then I’ve done something that matters. That’s what drives me. It’s not just about launching products; it’s about creating pathways for people to live with more confidence, more clarity, and more freedom.
Final thoughts
“At Kasheesh, our mission is rooted in expanding financial access and empowering smarter spending—but behind that mission is breakthrough technology,” said Chris Hartley, Chief Product and Operating Officer at Kasheesh. “The way we manage money is changing. Most people no longer rely on a single account or income stream. In today’s mobile economy, we’re earning and receiving funds through gig work, side hustles, digital platforms, and multiple financial institutions. Yet the tools for pooling and using that money haven’t kept up.
Kasheesh isn’t just another card you add to your digital wallet—we are better than your digital wallet. We give you a single place to manage access to all your money. Kasheesh lets you combine funds from your primary debit or credit card account, your fintech ‘fun money’ card, or even that gift card waiting for you in the junk drawer. We give customers the ability not only to bring all their money together but also to take back control over finances that are currently scattered across different banks, cards, and fintech platforms. Kasheesh delivers the flexibility today’s customers need to spend on their terms.”
The content on this blog is for general information purposes only, and is not intended to be personal financial advice. It does not take your individual circumstances and financial situation into account, and any reliance you place on the information is at your own risk.
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