# Kristen Tyrrell

> Kristen Tyrrell, known professionally as Kristen Anderson, co-founded Catch and served as its CEO from 2019 to 2023. Her career spans savings-product development at Commonwealth, product leadership at FutureFuel.io (now Candidly), and three years building products at Cash App. In September 2026 she announced a move to Shopify’s product team. She also writes Skeptical Optimism, a newsletter about technology, financial services and product design.

- **Role:** Joining the product team at Shopify (announced September 2026); writer of Skeptical Optimism
- **Organizations:** Catch, Cash App, Shopify, Commonwealth, FutureFuel.io (now Candidly), Y Combinator, Skeptical Optimism
- **From:** Reno, United States
- **Education:** B.S. and B.A., Mathematics and Economics, Pepperdine University, Master’s, International Business, Hult International Business School, Y Combinator
- **Known for:** Led Catch as CEO from 2019 to 2023., Helped take Catch through Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 programme., Led Catch during its $12 million Series A in July 2021.

## Career timeline

- **2011** — Moved to Boston after graduate study in London and China; accepted an internship paying $2,000 monthly that became a full-time position.
- **2014** — Entered fintech at Commonwealth, working on savings-product innovation.
- **2016-2017** — Worked in product and operations at FutureFuel.io, now Candidly.
- **2017** — Joined Catch in product; subsequently became COO and co-founder.
- **2019** — Catch participated in Y Combinator Winter 2019; became CEO in November.
- **2021** — Announced Catch’s relocation to New York and a $12 million Series A led by Crosslink.
- **2023** — Announced Catch’s closure in March; the business was acquired by Alexa Irish and Laura Speyer. Subsequently joined Cash App.
- **2025** — Helped build Cash App Pools for group payments.
- **2026** — Left Cash App in June after three years; launched Skeptical Optimism in August and announced joining Shopify’s product team in September.

## Achievements

- Led Catch as CEO from 2019 to 2023.
- Helped take Catch through Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 programme.
- Led Catch during its $12 million Series A in July 2021.
- Helped build Cash App Pools.
- At Cash App, progressed from savings product leadership to investing and Core Networks, according to her September 2026 career essay.
- Co-authored A Sinkhorn-Knopp Fixed Point Problem, published in the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal in 2011.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Published Girls just wanna have fun on October 1, reflecting on ordinary errands, AI assistance and returning to product work; said she was excited to join Shopify that month.
- **2026-09** — Announced accepting a product role at Shopify in Why I’m going to Shopify, published September 17.
- **2026-08** — Launched Skeptical Optimism; its first archive entry is dated August 27.
- **2026-06** — Left Cash App after three years, according to her September 17 essay.

## Links

- Website: https://skop.finitynetwork.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catchkristen
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/FintechKristen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kristen-tyrrell
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15