In his early 20s, Tate Hackert, flush from a commercial fishing gig, took it upon himself to offer short-term loans to strangers after seeing some struggle between paycheques. With that, in 2016, fintech company ZayZoon was launched.
ZayZoon is an earned-wage startup, meaning the company partners with small- and medium-sized businesses to help them provide a percentage of earned wage access to employees at any time, outside of traditional pay periods.
While founded by three individuals passionate about accelerating the tech scene in Calgary — CSO Hackert, plus Darcy Tuer, CEO, and Jamie Ha, CFO — ZayZoon was first adopted in the U.S. in 2017 after the trio decided, on a whim, to sponsor a payroll conference in the U.S. There, they met hundreds of individuals and companies interested and eager to adopt ZayZoon’s services.
ZayZoon has maintained a strong presence in the U.S. since, growing to more than 180 employees, raising US$68 million and partnering with or giving its services to more than 10,000 small- and mid-sized businesses across the U.S.
Last year, ZayZoon finally had its homecoming when it expanded to Canada, thanks to a partnership with Scotiabank.
“Since the beginning, it’s always been our plan to be in Canada,” says Hackert. “We know this product is needed here as much as it has been needed in the U.S.”
What’s new: ZayZoon was named Start Alberta’s 2024 Scaleup of the Year, the ScaleUP Company of the Year powered by Growth Compass, one of EY’s 2024 Prairies Award winners and it placed 14th on the Deloitte Canadian Technology Fast 50 list.