What happens when a group of innovative UGA students tackle a technology challenge to help small businesses manage credit card fees that impact profits and costs for consumers? They created Purpose Payment, a pay-by-bank app that rewards users, supports local merchants and benefits UGA athletics.
Linzey Nguyen and Saniya Bedi, both management information systems students in the Terry College of Business, led the team of 14 students under the guidance of Robert Trotter, director of the FinTech program at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.
A vision for change: From classroom to real-world impact
The creation of Purpose Payment started in Trotter’s FinTech certificate program. Nguyen, a fourth-year MIS major with an emphasis in data analytics, explains the motivation behind Purpose Payment.
“We recognized merchants pay high fees on credit card transactions, and nonprofits and Georgia Athletics aren’t receiving steady revenue. So, we developed Purpose Payment to offer an alternative, positive solution to fix those problems and appeal to businesses and their customers,” she says.
The app connects users’ bank accounts directly to merchants’ bank accounts, bypassing credit card fees and allowing those savings to go to causes that matter to the users.
“We created the idea, reached out to app developers and crafted a concise business case and launch plan,” Nguyen recalls. Kaveri Channappa, a third-year MIS major, joined the project during the summer of 2025, leading the launch strategy.
Strategic partnerships bring additional expertise
Developing the app required detailed planning and collaboration. “We used a cloud-based design and prototyping tool to figure out all of the user experience designs and engaged a financial tech company that specializes in secure app platforms,” Nguyen explains. Trotter facilitated a partnership with Synovus and connections in the fintech community to benefit the project.
Synovus Product Analyst Jessica Jones served as a connector, bringing the student team together with the third-party payments team at Synovus and FinTech Atlanta.
“Alongside my team members, we helped the students navigate the payments landscape beyond the classroom, sharing how banks and partners operate, what matters to merchants and how to solve problems that actually move the needle,” Jones says. “We’ve played part strategist, part coach and part translator. It’s been a true team effort.”
A soft launch with big aspirations
In September 2025, the team conducted a soft launch of Purpose Payment with Jittery Joe’s, a local coffee shop with five locations in Athens.
“Our goal was to prove the model works and that we can provide an additional revenue source to support Georgia athletics,” Channappa explains.
About 32 Jittery Joe’s customers downloaded and used the application, with 18 using the app at least once. Approximately 26 transactions occurred for primarily single item beverage sales, resulting in total revenue from the app of more than $160. The team collected significant user feedback that will inform technology enhancements before the public launch in late 2025.
Trotter praises his students, adding, “They did a great job with the app development, branding, marketing and launch strategy. It’s a full business.”
A bright future for Purpose Payment
As the initiative moves forward, the students involved have gained invaluable experience and insights. Nguyen says that she learned patience and perseverance, while Channappa says that she’s “never been a part of something so entrepreneurial.”
The students expect Purpose Payment to make a significant impact beyond Athens. They’d like to introduce the app to other merchants, universities and sports stadiums. As Nguyen touts, “where every payment has a purpose.”
This story was originally posted by www.synovus.com and written by Audria Belton.