Yael Cardwell moved to California after graduating from the University of Michigan. With student loan debt to worry about and a high cost of living, she described the experience as “culture shock.”
“At one point, I just sat down. I was like, ‘Okay, I just need to get this under control.'” She said. “And there were really no resources out there to teach you. So I taught myself how to get out of debt.”
By around the time the pandemic started, Cardwell had managed to clear that debt and turn her attention toward figuring out how to invest in the stock market. But when she put in her first trade, she lost almost $500. So, she took a few years off to educate herself further.
Reading through financial websites and gathering information on trading options, Cardwell realized there is a gap in how people learn about finance. This built on an understanding of common struggles consumers have with approaching finance that Cardwell had gained through a background in consumer insights.
With all this in mind, she began to take note of specific experiences and barriers among her clients. For instance, some skipped basic investing education before trading; others never tried to begin with over a fear of losing money.
“Fear is a huge factor in stopping people from even not just trading, but [from] taking any kind of financial steps. Whether that be investing or even learning where to move their money, learning how to pay off debt….”
Once she’d gained a clear picture of common issues, Cardwell began helping others learn the ropes, and her work toward becoming a licensed financial advisor began. Along with that came larger questions about how to make finance education accessible to people so they don’t succumb to common problems.
In September 2025, Cardwell teamed up with her older sister (and Chief Product Officer) Karisha Springer-Floyd, and her Chief Technical Officer, Jenee Benjamin ,to start developing Optionnaire. The startup is built around a financial education platform providing “plain-language, technology-driven financial learning” for people who are new to finance and wish to learn how to improve their habits.
A financial literacy road map
Optionnaire essentially provides a learning road map. Gamified in what is described as a similar fashion to the popular language-learning platform Duolingo, the app guides users through lessons one by one, and they earn experience points (xp) along the way.
Each of the lessons involves short fill-in-the-blank and/or multiple choice questions and introduces the user to a core financial subject. Starting points include options, or contracts for selling assets; users progress to investing basics, and eventually simulated “paper trading.”
Designed with encouraging messages that also walk through the concepts of each unit, Optionnaire is ultimately an interactive learning journey and a particularly useful starting point for those who might struggle with traditional financial education resources.
Cardwell described Optionnaire’s primary purpose as being a “financial education for all” platform, referencing common barriers people face when approaching financial education—including debt, lack of accessibility, and resources too complicated for the average person to understand.
“People are willing to pay for financial education. It’s just that the education is not that accessible.”
As part of its mission to “modernize financial education,” Optionnaire will also be integrating AI to develop risk profiles based on each individual user’s comprehension. The platform will then tailor future lessons to match each user’s style of learning.
The lessons will also eliminate the all-too-common barrier of confusing jargon, and the basic account is free to use.
Working toward launch
Cardwell revealed that the Optionnaire team originally submitted an MVP pitch to the Y Combinator and Air Collab accelerator during the development phase. At that time, the platform housed more features. The pitch didn’t work out, but ensuing advice from venture capitalists helped Cardwell realize that too many resources at once would be more than is necessary for users new to finance.
“[What we] had planned on building had five features,” she said. “But then we decided, let’s just build one feature. Let’s see how it’s received in tandem with some of the learning resources that I already have available.”
As of this writing, the Optionnaire team is preparing to launch the on the App Store by June. The app itself will be free, and users will have the option to upgrade to a premium subscription providing access to more AI features and interactive games.
QUICK BITS
Startup: Optionnaire
Co-Founders: Yael Cardwell (CEO), Karisha Springer-Floyd, Jenee Benjamin
Founded: 2025
Team size: 6
Location: Cary
Website: rewardedinterest.com
Funding: Bootstrapped / Raising pre-seed
Cardwell is bootstrapping to support the company’s operations but is eager to start a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding.
Alongside that pending campaign, Cardwell considers herself a “fin-fluencer” with modest followings on TikTok and Instagram that emboldened her to build up Optionnaire’s online presence. She and her executive team are also planning to “drum up” interest via face-to-face marketing
The startup has a six-month road map following the app store launch and will immediately plan new features thereafter. Ultimately, they aim to include more lessons on bonds, stocks, investing basics, and more.
Cardwell also plans to expand Optionnaire’s AI to be more consumer-facing, possibly with a chatbot. When more features are set, she hopes to partner with brokerages like Robinhood, weaving a pipeline for users to migrate from learning on Optionnaire to trading platforms for real investing.
In the meantime, Optionnaire’s kickstarter campaign will launch on May 1, 2026—National Investing Day.
You can sign up for updates at the Optionnaire website.
