In this episode of Bright Founders Talk, we sit down with Kieron James, Co-Founder and CEO of Wonderful, a groundbreaking payment and fundraising platform. With a career spanning over 30 years in the tech industry, Kieron brings a wealth of experience and a passion for innovation that has shaped his journey from educator to entrepreneur. 

His professional path includes ventures in web design, domain registration, telecoms, and now open banking—each focused on empowering small and medium enterprises. What started as a side project inspired by his son’s skydive for charity evolved into a mission to eliminate unnecessary fees from fundraising. Kieron’s story reveals how frustration with traditional giving platforms sparked a movement to build something truly impactful—free, ethical, and efficient. 

In our conversation, he shares insights on risk-taking, the evolution of digital payments, and how open banking technology is revolutionizing donor experiences. From bootstrapping with a team of passionate engineers to navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 era, his journey is both inspiring and instructive. Join us as we explore the vision behind Wonderful and the powerful impact of purpose-driven innovation.

From Skydives to Startups: How a Teen’s Frustration Sparked a Payment Revolution

When Kieron James’ teenage son came stomping down the stairs, fuming over a chunk of charitable donations lost to platform fees, Kieron knew this wasn’t just a dad moment—it was a call to action. His son had just completed a skydive for Teenage Cancer Trust, but the real drop came when they realized how much money had vanished into payment processing. “We’ve got smart engineers, we’ve got server space—why not build something better?” That casual remark snowballed into what is now Wonderful, a zero-fee fundraising platform powered by pure determination and open banking.

The early days were scrappy and full of heart. Kieron’s team, originally telecom engineers, volunteered their coffee breaks and weekends to bring the platform to life. No investors, no frills—just a shared vision to eliminate the middleman. What they didn’t anticipate, however, was the ‘success paradox’: the more Wonderful grew, the more money their corporate sponsor had to cover in card processing fees. They were winning... but also bleeding cash. The breakthrough came during COVID lockdowns, when Kieron donated to a fundraiser using a new technology—open banking. It was fast, seamless, and sparked a bold pivot: ditch card payments altogether and embrace open banking 100%.

Of course, betting on unfamiliar tech wasn’t without risk. Would donors trust QR codes and new payment flows? Would the user base adapt? Kieron admits there were sleepless nights and nervous monitoring of customer feedback. But the gamble paid off. Open banking slashed costs by 95%, saved the platform, and redefined what ethical giving could look like. As Kieron puts it best: “We were doing it free—so we had nothing to lose, and everything to prove.”

Familiar Feels, Radical Change: How Wonderful Is Reimagining Payments Without the Fees

Trust doesn't come easy in fintech—especially when you're asking users to abandon their go-to payment methods for something brand new. Kieron knows this all too well. Convincing merchants and donors to try open banking instead of cards? Not exactly a walk in the park. But instead of reinventing the wheel, Wonderful leaned into what people already know. “We mimicked the Apple Wallet look and feel,” Kieron explains. “If you see logos you recognize—Monzo, HSBC, Revolut—you feel like you're in safe territory.” That one small design choice lowered friction and made the transition from ‘curious’ to ‘comfortable’ surprisingly fast.

And here's where it gets interesting: once someone tries it, they usually don’t look back. According to Kieron, there’s an 85–90% chance users will make a second open banking payment. Why? Because it’s that easy. No card numbers, no clunky redirects, no hidden charges—just a few taps and done. For users, it feels modern. For merchants and charities, it feels like freedom. The shift to mobile-first journeys has only accelerated this momentum, making frictionless giving and spending more natural than ever.

Of course, this whole model raises eyebrows. How does a platform survive—let alone grow—without transaction fees? That’s where Wonderful gets, well, wonderfully clever. Kieron compares their pricing model to Spotify: instead of charging per play (or in this case, per payment), they charge a flat monthly subscription. “It’s essentially 1,000 transactions for £9.99,” he says. “People ask, ‘How can you make that work?’ And I tell them—we’re not paying Taylor Swift.” By cutting out a dozen intermediaries from a typical card transaction, they’ve created a system that’s lean, clean, and built for the long haul.

Tipping Points, Truth Bombs, and the Rise of Enterprise: Kieron on What’s Next for Fintech

Most people don’t think twice when they hit “donate.” A few taps, a warm fuzzy feeling—and it’s done. But Kieron James wants you to pause for a second and ask: Where is that money really going? One of the biggest myths in the donation space, he says, is how invisible platform fees and tips can be. “People move fast through checkouts, so we just push for one thing—transparency,” he explains. It’s not that he’s against tipping models, but when users unknowingly give a chunk of their donation to a for-profit platform, it’s a problem. The same goes for small businesses. That “harmless” 1.5% transaction fee? It can swallow 18% of your net profits—a stat most business owners don’t realize until it's spelled out.

But it’s not just about calling out the status quo—it’s also about building smarter alternatives. Recently, Wonderful began attracting unexpected attention from enterprise-level players who were using their basic API in some pretty creative (and high-volume) ways. What started as a lean, flat-fee solution for small businesses suddenly had bigger brands knocking on the door. So, in true Wonderful fashion, Kieron and his team rolled up their sleeves and launched a new enterprise division. “When I say launch—I mean we made one LinkedIn post,” he laughs. But even that soft launch triggered serious inbound interest. From custom branding to open banking infrastructure, the move marks a big leap into serving larger retail clients and other fintechs with scalable solutions.

And as for where the future is heading? Kieron’s got his eye on something clunky in name but revolutionary in impact: Commercial Variable Recurring Payments (or CVRP, for short… we hope). It’s like direct debit, but with way more control. Imagine charging your electric car and knowing it’ll never exceed a set limit. You approve the range, and the merchant works within it. “It gives consumers more flexibility, and merchants get instant settlement with lower costs,” says Kieron. For donation platforms and subscription models alike, it’s a game-changer in waiting—one that might just become the new default if the fintech world can finally agree on a better name.

No Catch, No Gimmicks: How Kieron Builds Trust, Tackles Giants, and Keeps It Wonderfully Real

When Kieron launched the Wonderful platform, he quickly discovered that one of the hardest things to sell was... free. Charities didn’t quite believe it at first. “They’d ask, ‘Where’s the catch?’” he recalls. But through consistency, clarity, and a rock-solid reputation, Wonderful became a name synonymous with trust. That same ethos now powers their enterprise division—complete with fully transparent pricing, right there on the homepage. No ‘book a call,’ no ‘custom quote’ mystery. Just the real deal. “We don't sit in the flow of funds,” Kieron says. “The money goes straight from the donor to the charity—it’s yours the moment it’s paid.” That kind of transparency isn’t just refreshing—it’s revolutionary in the payments space.

Of course, doing things differently means swimming against a very strong current. Kieron is under no illusions: open banking is still the new kid on the block, trying to edge out payment systems that have dominated for 60 years. Competing with big brands, big budgets, and ingrained habits? It’s tough. But Kieron sees a silver lining: “We don’t need 5% of the market to succeed. Even a tiny slice is huge.” What gives Wonderful an edge is the organic discovery of new use cases. A single physiotherapy clinic or used car dealer might not bring volume—but they open doors. Each new customer becomes a use-case study, feeding into an ecosystem of potential. It’s a grassroots approach to scaling, driven not by chasing the biggest fish—but by listening closely to who's already knocking.

And when it comes to advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, Kieron keeps it honest. Tenacity matters, he says—but so does knowing when to let go. “Don't be afraid to pivot—or even give up and start something new,” he shares. Loving your idea isn’t enough if the numbers don’t back it. What’s worked for him is a balance of passion and pragmatism: follow your curiosity, be brutally honest with yourself, and build feedback into your process. And if the dream changes shape? That’s not failure—that’s progress.