The financial education app is already in partnership with Mastercard for expansion in six major markets, as well as core banking platform, SaaScada, which provides the back-end banking technology. They are also in talks with some of the largest retail banks in Europe who have expressed interest.

The premise of the game brings a new concept to the financial literacy education landscape; it follows a character (kitten) on its journey across a fictional and animated universe where users will need to learn financial basics to complete missions and adapt to the environment.

There is a kid’s app and parent’s app: the parents will be able to set tasks for their kids in their version, which is how kids gain tokens and construct their world.

O’Neil explains: “They play 10 minutes a day, several times a week, with their parents’ involvement. And effectively, through that process, all of the concepts of financial literacy will come through, but not in a really preachy way, in a ’street cred’ and fun way that’s full of characters with personality. The tasks are based around a curriculum to do with financial literacy. By the time they actually finish playing it in a year or two’s time, they may not necessarily have all of the vernacular associated with financial literacy, but they will have a tacit understanding of what they have to do in order to be financially literate.”

The app will be split into 6-12 and 12-18 age groups, the former being ‘Sunshine and Kittens’ and the latter progressing to ‘Emo Kittens’. Engagement with the app will be encouraged through personalisation, dynamic graphics, and musical features.

“What we know is that for 6-12 year olds, their experience is to learn about the world within which they live. From 12-18, their experience becomes about self-expression and self-identity.”

Building towards financial freedom

O’Neil emphasises that they are set on changing what is already on the scene in children’s financial education apps. He highlights that children are drawn to music and animation, and to have a platform where children are excited to learn how to employ a visual language to engage them. The app is designed to utilise mixed media art and design to make the app aesthetically pleasing and dynamic.

He continues that “with the current media being consumed by children, financial literacy apps really need to step up their game: The problem is that kids are coming out of school financially illiterate, so when they become adults, they’re still financially illiterate, and then they have kids who are financially illiterate. You don’t solve that problem by just continuing to do the same thing over and over again. It doesn’t make any sense. You need to talk to them in a language that they understand, and Sunshine+Kittens is the language that they understand.”

The app’s ultimate goal is to have a positive impact on financial literacy and social mobility, to solve the financial literacy problem and set kids up to manage their finance effectively as adults.

“We want to give kids financial freedom for the future, but to do so in a really fun, joyous manner.”

Inspiration and design

The intergalactic kitten-verse is customisable, colourful, imaginative, kitschy, and adorable. O’Neil says that the entire platform, which will include an element of AI, is intended to be culturally engaging, showcasing the packaging for the Sunshine+Kittens card, designed to give the kids a delightful unboxing experience.

“It’s not just the stories, the visual style is so sophisticated. The illustrations, the three-dimensional rendering, the soundtrack. Yet, you’ve got these ‘kids’ products being produced by organised financial institutions, and it’s like they’re from the 70s. My grandmother could do a better job.”

The app boasts a star-studded production team, featuring characters designed by Jake Lunt Davies, known for his creation of Star Wars’ lovable BB-8 and other concept art in the Star Wars universe, and soundtrack composed by David Arnold who scored Independence Day, Good Omens, Sherlock, and Casino Royale.

Why Sunshine+Kittens? O’Neil explains that the name comes from his son’s love of cats and space, and his poetic description of his babysitter as “the most perfect blend of sunshine and kittens.”

After that interaction, O’Neil concluded: “We thought that’s exactly where we need to go. We need delight and joy as a way of teaching our kids about something which, otherwise, can be quite dull.”