“Money is emotional,” Zmarzly said. “So why not tap into the positive emotion behind savings and debt elimination with notifications, future value forecasting and fun GIFs to hit a user up once a day with a customized savings recommendation, show them the best options for their money, and help them celebrate the small savings action in a fun way?”

Reaching out to the Kickstarter community goes beyond measuring the market and crowdfunding more than $15,000 for the next stage of the app's product development. Zmarzly has hopes to start what he's dubbed the Fingers Up Movement.

“This is bigger than just an app. It is a long-overdue movement for change,” he said. “The bigger goals are to enable everyone to be smarter with their finances, to force banks to care more about people than profit and to inspire people to no longer settle for the status quo.”

Another advantage of Kickstarter? It allows the Lincoln, Neb.-based software company to identify and partner with a loyal and small test group of users who share the same people-first philosophy to co-create Hip Money. Pledges run from $12 for a discounted year's subscription to $5,000 for a university, credit union or employer to pilot a white label version of Hip Money.

The company has already started building the app with an eye on an October 2016 deadline. Sno Falls Credit Union based in Snoqualmie, Wash. stepped up as the first credit union to pilot the program and Zmarzly said there's room for more to launch the app with their members as well.

“This drives home our value proposition of enhancing the financial well being of our members particularly the daily education piece of it when deciding to swipe or not,” Timothy Williams, president/CEO Sno Falls CU said. “We as an industry need to figure out how to be in the FinTech space. If we're not offering those solutions, our members will get them somewhere else. We have to be a part of that conversation.”

In an industry that wants validation and safety, Zmarzly said he understands partnering with a startup is neither, but that won't stop the groundswell of change that's coming.

“Every industry should be looking for ways to disrupt their current business models. If you don't, someone else is looking to do just that,” he said. “The financial industry is at a pivotal point. How can your financial institution be a part of what's happening? If you were to design your own financial institution from the ground up, what would you change? Being reactive is no longer acceptable for our industry. “