Arthur resident launches new app to help tack bill payments
ARTHUR – Arthur resident Henry Zeas has created an app to help people avoid paying late fees on their utility bills.
The app is called BillMaple and is available from the Apple App Store. After a one-week trial, users are expected to buy into a subscription.
BillMaple is a bill tracker that manages expenses including rent, hydro, gas and phone bills and provides pings for due dates and summaries of payment histories.
Zeas invented BillMaple with the Canadian market in mind; the app is available in both English and French.
Zeas is a recent arrival to Canada, having settled in Arthur with his wife and children about three years ago, in part because a friend already lived there.
He and his family left his native Nicaragua amid political turbulence and came to Canada as refugees.
Zeas studied computer science in Nicaragua and took further courses in graphic design and web design while working for a US company.
He recently decided to apply those skills to an entrepreneurial venture of his own.
Necessity being the mother of invention, the idea for BillMaple came after Zeas was repeatedly hit with late fees while struggling to keep track of bills with varying due dates.
That led to a light bulb moment: What if he created an app that organized all of his bills so he didn’t needlessly lose money to late fees?
The app also notifies users about energy costs, for example when gas prices fluctuate.
This year, Zeas also started Zeas Design, a company that aims to combine an attractive visual appearance with utility across web design, branding and more.
So far, the fledgling business has gained some US clients, although Zeas hopes to attract local ones too.
Zeas already has another app in the works, the spin-off PawMaple, which he hopes will provide users customized advice about local veterinary clinics and their pet’s health.
As BillMaple is designed to help people manage household budgets, PawMaple would turn the same idea toward their pets.
“My hope is that the app helps people to save money,” Zeas said.
