TechBBQ '25 Episode 5: Gamification of finances with Victor Barres

In this TechBBQ 2025 podcast episode, Christian sits down with Victor, a Spain-born industrial engineer and recent Master’s graduate from Lund, Sweden, to talk about the startup idea he’s building: a gamified finance education app designed to make personal finance feel as easy—and as addictive—as the apps people already use every day.Victor shares how his Master’s thesis helped spark the concept, how his personal interest in finance and retail investing turned into a startup path, and why he believes there’s a major gap in financial education—especially for young professionals who are digitally native but still feel overwhelmed by money decisions.They discuss:The shift from an early “Too Good To Go”-style concept into EdTech for financeThe vision of a “Duolingo-style” experience for money—without the intimidationHow to teach finance in real time, based on the decisions people actually face (rent, subscriptions, saving, investing, big purchases)The challenge of creating a personalized onboarding experience at scale without being intrusive or requiring bank dataWhy reducing friction and keeping attention (UX, UI, flow state) is central to the productWhere Victor is now: early-stage validation, mockups, and TechBBQ networking to find a technical co-founder, build an MVP, and test real user behaviorA candid conversation about building an early-stage startup, product design, and how gamification could make financial literacy more accessible for everyone.