Atlanta Startup HotSaus Wants to Bring Cash Back Options to Zelle, Venmo and Cash App
The takeaway: Atlanta startup HotSaus is building a cash back platform for purchases paid through Zelle, Venmo and Cash App. Users submit a receipt and proof of payment to claim eligible merchant cash offers.
ATLANTA, September 27 (Hypepotamus) - The personal finance space is full of “maxxing” right now. Moneymaxxing, pointsmaxxing, interestmaxxing, and cashbackmaxxing are all concepts debated on Reddit threads and TikToks. And they all point to one major trend: People want to make sure every dollar is working for them.
For Ngozi Ahanotu, that has traditionally meant chasing rewards points through her Chase Sapphire card. But one of the biggest transactions she had — a $7,000 home repair — didn’t earn her any sort of return because she paid the contractor through Zelle.
Tech Square Ventures is an Atlanta-based firm investing in enterprise (B2B) and marketplace technology companies.
Zelle alone moved over $1.2 trillion last year. And when you add in Venmo and Cash App, which small and independent businesses commonly use to accept payments, that number grows significantly. But the reality is that not a single one of those dollars gave users points, miles, or cashback offers.
That’s when Ahanotu started working on a fix, and ended up building the Atlanta-based FinTech startup HotSaus.
“Once I discovered the real numbers around this segment of the [person-to-merchant] industry, I knew we had something even if we were early,” she told Hypepotamus.
How HotSaus Works
HotSaus users upload the receipt from a recent purchase and a screenshot showing proof of purchase from Zelle, Venmo, or Cashapp. Once the transaction on one of those platforms is confirmed, Cashback hits a user’s account within 72 hours.
For users, that means money back on an eligible purchase. For businesses, partnering with HotSaus is about reaching new customers and providing them with exclusive cashback offers. With the HotSaus platform, merchants and service providers can drop weekly cashback offers, which are given first to DROP SQUAD members.
“We make money from users that join our DROP SQUAD membership at $29/year (early access to offers, option to claim multiple offers, and faster wallet payout) and from redemption fees charged to merchants when users redeem the offers. Redemption fees start at $4 and we tell the merchants that they don't have to make up something new. Use current intro offers to get more quality customers that pay full price instead of discount hunters,” Ahanotu told Hypepotamus.
The platform has launched following a beta run. Ahanotu said that new users can get $10 on their first upload and merchants can set up offers for free before any payment is required.
The platform is live nationwide, with merchants dropping offers soon in Atlanta and NYC.
The Evolving World Of Payments
Now, helping people maximize rewards points is nothing new. One of the big players is Bilt, a popular platform that helps users get points from paying their rent and mortgage. Atlanta itself is home to another startup in the space, venture-backed MaxRewards.
Maija Ehlinger
For Ahanotu, HotSaus is about helping younger consumers get more cash back from the payment apps they already use.
The company’s tagline is “my money is my peace,” she added.
“Everyone deserves the chance to get rewarded for the way they live and how they pay. Bam and I are building HotSaus as the first rewards platform designed for just that. We believe Venmo, Zelle, Cash App are the future of payments between Gen Z and small businesses. Rewards should not be forgotten,” Ngozi added in a press statement.
Meet The HotSaus Team
Ahanotu co-founded HotSaus with Bam Faboyede, who has held developer roles at SoFi, Citizens Bank, and InRhythm.
Ahanotu previously worked as a digital content editor at The Home Depot and as a copy editor and head of content at other agencies.
HotSaus evolved after the team pivoted from building Hiihat, a marketplace and search engine for finding Black-owned businesses. At the time of pivoting at the end of 2025, HotSaus received a non-dilutive grant from Visible Hands NYC. Now, the HotSaus team is focused on raising a larger venture round.
We asked Ahanotu what her big focus is for the rest of the year. Her answer? User acquisition.
“Having active users on the platform uploading their proof of payment to businesses, small or big, helps build trust in the merchants and investors that we are ahead of time in this market and they should be future-focused with us,” she added. “We don't see any other apps or platforms as competition trying to reach GenZ about cashback rewards. As these payment rails continue to grow for small businesses, billions more of these transactions will continue to take place and they will want rewards for their loyalty.”
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