Another Portlander plans to revolutionize banking: Bill DeRouchey joins BankSimple

BankSimple isn’t a Portland company, per se, but co-founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer, Alex Payne, lives here in Portland. So much like Vimeo and Kickstarter, we consider them part of our tech scene.

And now, the Portland office of BankSimple is going to double in size. News has broken this morning that Bill DeRouchey, formerly of Ziba Design—and a guy who has more knowledge of buttons and ukeleles than most—has joined BankSimple as Creative Director.

What’s BankSimple trying to do? Form a bank. A non-trivial pursuit. Especially in this day and age.

Perhaps more exciting is the situation, the company, the people, the mission. In the midst of a financial crisis, during a time when everybody hates banks, we’re starting a bank. On the surface, it’s a bit crazy. But it also means that it could be a perfect time to shake things up. What if you start from scratch, with new technology, an API, a focus on mobile, and a mission to treat customers well? That’s what we’re doing.

What drew Bill to BankSimple? The potential to make meaningful change.

It’s my firm belief that one of the keys to success is avoiding the artificial, uniform face that most companies present. Success means being an accessible collection of genuine people that incidentally comprise a company. That’s why the idea of joining this team captivated me. It’s not just the amazing technology, or the product ideas that will rethink banking. It’s the willingness of Josh, Shamir, and Alex to speak publicly and bluntly about tricky subjects like banking and personal finance. They speak about the world of money like real people, and that made me want to join the team.

…

Now, instead of just talking about how more humane corporate design and communication would be a great idea, I now have the opportunity to make this happen from the start of a brand new company. As BankSimple grows, aspects of our character and personality will continue to shine through, as they already have on BankSimple’s blog.

Here’s hoping that this is just the next of many steps that make BankSimple more and more a part of the Portland startup tech scene.

For more information, read Bill’s post on his new gig or see the official BankSimple post.

Published by Rick Turoczy

More than mildly obsessed with the Portland startup community. Founder and editor at Silicon Florist. Cofounder and general manager at PIE. Follow me on Twitter: @turoczy View all posts by Rick Turoczy