PRE-SEED · $1.0M–$1.5M

TapTapTips

Proximity Payments for Tips & Donations. 10 seconds. No usernames. No forms.

VIEW DECK CONTACT US
$640B+
ADDRESSABLE MARKET
CONV. NOTE
INSTRUMENT
$15M
POST-MONEY CAP
68%
GROSS MARGIN Y3
01 / PROBLEM

The moment passes.

Close enough to talk. Paying still takes minutes.

The Intent

  • Pay back a friend nearby
  • Tip a performer or worker
  • Support a fundraiser
  • Buy from a local vendor
  • Thank someone face to face
  • Ready to give Right Now

The Disconnect

  • No cash on hand
  • Must exchange personal information
  • Need username, QR code, phone, or URL
  • Risk sending to the wrong person
  • Extra setup interrupts the interaction
  • By then, the moment is gone
RESULT: The Connection is instant. The payment isn't.
02 / SOLUTION

Done in 10 seconds.

1

Open App

Nearby receivers appear via Bluetooth automatically. No usernames, no URLs.

2

Select & Tap

Choose the recipient. Distribute across multiple people at once.

3

Done

Money sent instantly. Receiver sees it in real time on their dashboard.

10s
TAPTAPTIPS
vs
5 min
VENMO · CASH APP · QR CODES · SQUARE
Existing apps require a username, QR code, or shared contact.
03 / MARKET SIZE

A $640B+ opportunity.

MARKET
$640B+
According to Giving USA, Americans donated $592 billion in 2024 alone. Add the tip economy and you're at $640 billion. That's our market — and most of it is stuck because the infrastructure to move it in person doesn't exist yet.
LAUNCH FOCUS
$250B+
In-person giving: restaurants, events, fundraisers, food trucks, farmers markets, service workers, and local merchants.
EXECUTION GOAL
100K
Active receivers create the network. Receivers drive transactions, GMV.

BOTTOMS-UP VALIDATION

  • 100K active receivers × $2,500 avg GMV/yr = $250M GMV
  • At 3% take rate = $7.5M annual revenue (achievable Year 2–3)
  • Sources: Giving USA 2025 · Yale Budget Lab 2024 · Blackbaud est.
04 / BUSINESS MODEL

We win when they win.

How It Works

  • Givers: Free to send
  • Receivers: 3% fee
  • Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 (pass-through)
  • Total cost to receiver: ~6% all-in

Example: $20 Tip

Stripe takes$0.88
TapTapTips takes$0.60
Receiver gets$18.52

Why It Works

  • Creating transactions that wouldn't exist
  • Not extracting from existing payments
  • No friction for payers
  • New revenue opportunities for receivers
68%
ALL-IN GROSS MARGIN Y3
47% Y1 → 60% Y2 → 68% Y3, after Stripe Connect per-receiver fees ($24/rcvr/yr).
05 / TRACTION

Live. Real users. Real transactions.

2
App Stores Live
iOS App Store + Google Play. Production Stripe Connect. Zero dependency on third-party networks.
18mo
Solo Founder Build
Full stack: iOS, Android, Spring Boot backend, BLE, Stripe, Ed25519 signing.
2–10s
BLE Discovery
Cross-platform iOS ↔ Android validated. No QR, no username, no setup.
Live ✓
Payments in Production
Real users. Real Stripe transactions. Seeking first venue partners.

WHAT THIS RAISE UNLOCKS

  • First 10 signed venue partners (hotels, restaurants, events) → initial GMV concentration
  • 500–1K active receivers in Santa Barbara / Carpinteria market to validate unit economics
  • Proven CAC and LTV data to support Series A narrative
06 / READINESS

The hardest problems are solved.

✓ STRIPE LIVE  ·  ✓ BLE SOLVED  ·  ✓ SECURITY HARDENED  ·  ✓ ED25519 SIGNATURES
07 / DE-RISKED

The technology is proven. Distribution is next.

The product foundation is built. The remaining challenge is network adoption: signing partners, launching pilots, building receiver density, and scaling GMV.

VALIDATED

Technical

  • iOS and Android production deployment
  • Nearby discovery validated in 2–10 seconds
  • Secure transaction architecture
  • Stripe Connect integrated
VALIDATED

Product

  • End-to-end transaction flow
  • Production payment processing
  • Real users and real transactions
  • Repeatable nearby payment experience
ESTABLISHED

Compliance

  • Delaware C-Corp structure
  • Marketplace model
  • SAQ A PCI scope
  • Stripe managed receiver KYC
GROWTH FOCUS

Network

  • Receiver density
  • Merchant onboarding
  • Strategic partnerships
  • Geographic expansion
Sign Partners→ Launch Pilots→ Build Receiver Density→ Scale GMV
08 / GO TO MARKET

Receivers create the network. Payers follow density.

Build dense receiver clusters first. P2P creates the habit loop, giving creates emotional adoption, local commerce creates the path to revenue.

PHASE 1
MONTHS 1–6

Presence Pilot

  • P2P nearby transfers
  • Tips and giving
  • Food trucks
  • Farmers markets
  • Street performers
  • Small venue pilots
500–1K
ACTIVE RECEIVERS
$500K–$1M
GMV
PHASE 2
MONTHS 6–18

Venue & Community

  • Hotels & restaurants
  • Religious orgs
  • Nonprofit & fundraisers
  • Conferences & festivals
5K
RECEIVERS
$5M–$10M
GMV
PHASE 3
MONTHS 12–24

Merchant Monetization

  • Verified merchant profiles
  • Discovery & visibility
  • Business analytics
  • Featured placement
  • Merchant take rate
25K
RECEIVERS
$50M+
GMV
PHASE 4
MONTHS 24–48

Network Scale

  • National receiver network
  • Enterprise partnerships
  • Multi-location merchants
  • Scaled monetization
100K
RECEIVERS
$250M GMV
→ $7.5M REV
09 / USE OF FUNDS

$1.0M–$1.5M to hit key milestones.

$150K
Server & Infrastructure
  • Cloud hosting & scaling (Render / AWS)
  • Database & storage costs
  • CDN & monitoring tools
  • 18-month runway coverage
$350K
Operations
  • Payment compliance & legal
  • Accounting, insurance, admin
  • Contingency reserve
$500K
Marketing & Growth
  • Event sponsorships & activations
  • Hotel / restaurant partnerships
  • 2 BD hires
  • Brand, content & paid acquisition
10K Active Receivers→ $1.5M ARR→ Proven Unit Economics→ Series A Ready
10 / TEAM

Built by operators.

RT
Ron Thai
FOUNDER & CEO
  • 20 years building mission-critical authentication systems for the US Navy (NAVFAC)
  • Mobile dev, backend engineering, payment systems & cryptographic security
  • Designed and built entire TapTapTips stack solo in 18 months
  • Solved 2–10s BLE discovery, Ed25519 signatures, Stripe Connect integration
HL
Hao Lam
CO-FOUNDER & COO
  • Owns all BD and venue partnerships — targeting 10 signed venues in first 90 days
  • Logistics and operations expertise: partner onboarding, event coordination, field execution
  • 5+ years operations and logistics leadership across high-coordination environments
  • Frees founder to stay focused on product and fundraising while BD scales in parallel
Hiring with this raise: 2 Business Development roles (partnerships & events)
APPENDIX / FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS

SaaS-like margins.

Year 1Year 2Year 3
ACTIVE RECEIVERS10,00050,000100,000
AVG GMV / RECEIVER / YR$1,500$2,000$2,500
TOTAL GMV$15M$100M$250M
REVENUE (3% TAKE RATE)$450K$3.0M$7.5M
CONNECT COGS ($24/rcvr)$240K$1.2M$2.4M
GROSS MARGIN47%60%68%
OPERATING EXPENSES$299K$562K$890K
EBITDA($89K)$1.24M$4.2M
Break-even: Month 14–16  ·  Stripe fees pass-through to receivers  ·  Platform revenue = pure software margin
11 / THE ASK
$1.0M–$1.5M
PRE-SEED ROUND
Convertible Note
INSTRUMENT
$15M
POST-MONEY CAP
12–18 mo
RUNWAY TO SERIES A
✓10K active receiver accounts
✓$1.5M ARR
✓Proven unit economics
✓Clear path to profitability

Let's capture the $640B in giving that's waiting to happen.

GET IN TOUCH
Ron Thai & Hao Lam  ·  ronvthai@taptaptips.com  ·  haotlam@taptaptips.com  ·  taptaptips.com