The cat they abandoned
In 2013, Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt flirted with naming their company Cash Cat — after cashcats.biz, a site of felines lounging on hundred-dollar bills. Everyone said it lacked impact. They picked Robinhood instead. The cat became a hood. The mascot became a movement. The name changed; the spirit didn't.
April 14, 2021, Vlad said it out loud: “the original name for @RobinhoodApp was — and we can't stress this enough — Cash Cat.”