Managing wealth shouldn’t feel like a full-time job.

For startup founders and employees, financial decisions, especially around stock options, liquidity events, and taxes can be overwhelming. The best financial and tax advisors are often hard to find, expensive, and buried in boutique firms that don’t actively market their services.

I reached out to two Harvard Business School professors, thinking they’d have the answer. But the advice I got was completely wrong for our situation.

That’s when it hit him: even the smartest people struggle to find the right financial advice.

Most founders don’t have access to top-tier tax and financial advisors. The best experts are buried in boutique firms, impossible to find and evaluate. The existing fintech tools, neobanks, robo-advisors, were great for entry-level users, but what happens when your wealth outgrows DIY solutions?

That’s the gap Harness was built to fill.

Today, the company has raised $36M from Bain Capital Ventures, Torch Capital, and FJ Labs and serves clients from Amazon, Stripe, Airbnb, Uber, and more. And since its last funding round in 2021, Harness has grown 10x and increased revenue by 1,588%.

But the journey to this point wasn’t straightforward.

The Breakthrough: A Smarter Way to Find the Right Financial Experts

The first version of Harness Wealth wasn’t about tax services. It was about building a marketplace where founders and high-growth professionals could find top financial advisors.

“We knew we didn’t want to create just another marketplace focused on volume. Quality was everything. We wanted to hand-pick the best advisors and make it easier for clients to find the right fit.”

But as the company grew, one issue kept coming up: taxes.

Our data showed a massive demand for tax services. People weren’t just looking for wealth advisors, they needed specialized tax expertise. And the existing infrastructure wasn’t built to handle it.

That realization changed everything.

Harness shifted gears to build a tax platform that wasn’t just a referral marketplace but a full-service experience for both clients and advisors.

Today, the platform makes tax planning faster, easier, and more transparent:

  • Clients save over 50% of the time typically spent on tax prep.
  • They upload documents once, everything is auto-organized.
  • They get matched with a tax advisor, without the endless back-and-forth.

“Taxes aren’t just another financial task. They’re often the biggest financial pain point founders face.”

The Growth Strategy That Changed Everything

Like most fintech startups, Harness started out focused on direct-to-consumer growth. But one strategy took things to the next level: turning tax advisors and financial firms into growth partners.

“We realized that if we built a platform valuable enough for advisors, they’d bring their own clients onto it. That’s when things really took off.”

This strategy led to partnerships with two of the top 10 largest financial services companies, making

Harness their go-to tax referral source.

Instead of relying solely on ads or traditional customer acquisition, the company’s growth became built into the way advisors do business.

The Moment It All Clicked

The biggest proof that the strategy was working? Client feedback.

Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) hit 80, which was even higher than we expected. Clients were telling us that this is the best tax experience they’ve ever had.

The second tax season with the fully built Harness portal proved that the platform wasn’t just working, it was scaling.

  • More clients.
  • Happier advisors.
  • A system that saved everyone time and stress.

The best part? It was no longer just about taxes, it was about making financial planning effortless.

The Biggest Challenge Scaling Harness

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The biggest challenge? Taxes are hard.

Unlike automated investing or budgeting tools, tax and financial planning require human expertise.

“Most fintech startups scale by automating everything but tax advisory isn’t something you can just hand over to an algorithm.”

That meant Harness had to build technology that worked seamlessly with human advisors, not replace them.

“It was a challenge, but it’s also what makes us different. We’re not just another finance app. We’re solving real, complex problems for people who need expert-level solutions.”

David’s Advice for Startup Founders

If there’s one thing David has learned, it’s this: as a founder, you’re always selling.

“Raising venture capital? You’re selling a vision. Convincing top talent to join? You’re selling an opportunity. Acquiring customers? You’re selling a solution.”

The best companies don’t just have a great product. They have a clear narrative that gets investors, employees, and customers excited.

“Figure out how to tell your story and don’t wait until it’s perfect – just start!”

What’s Next for Harness Wealth?

With $36M in funding, rapid growth, and major financial service partnerships, Harness is just getting started.

The company is now expanding its platform, making financial planning even easier for high-growth professionals.

“Our mission is simple. We want founders to focus on building their companies, not stressing over taxes and financial planning.”

And with the way things are going, Harness Wealth is well on its way to becoming the go-to financial platform for the next generation of wealth builders.