Dear Theo, Let’s Begin
The Name Came in the Alps
Dear Theo,
Hi, my name is Johan Harry François, and I’m the co-founder and CEO of Theo AI. Theo is an artificial intelligence-powered total rewards platform. We’re building a brand new type of company—an AI HR fintech built to bring clarity to our increasingly complex financial lives. We’re helping companies explain the value of their rewards to employees, but more importantly, we’re building a platform that helps employees effortlessly maximize their compensation and benefits.
Theo was born out of frustration—and the realization that millions of people are missing out on the full value of their work. Employees leave thousands in compensation value on the table each year—from unclaimed 401(k) matches, unused HSAs, overlooked tax advantages, to underutilized insurance and equity benefits. This hidden financial leakage drains employee wealth and undermines employer ROI in engagement, retention, and benefits spend.
We’re building Theo to stop that. More importantly, our mission is to make financial empowerment as universal as air—so everyone can understand, access, and grow their wealth.
Dear Theo is a series of letters, thoughts, notes, ramblings, and musings. As a first-time founder, I want to document the journey and build in public. It helps keep me accountable—and gives me a support system to lean on. I also hope it brings Theo to life.
The name “Theo” came to me in the Austrian Alps, in St. Anton. The best ideas often arrive when you’re out in nature. Both the name and the spark for the idea came during a Columbia Business School ski trip. I had spent most of my Christmas break reading startup books like Super Pumped, Hatching Twitter, and Billion Dollar Loser—trying to jumpstart my own founder dreams. I hoped that by reading about the early days of today’s glorified founders, I could humanize their stories and find inspiration in their beginnings. What I learned is that before they were deified, founders were just people—curious, restless, and brave enough to start.
I gave Theo a name to bring him to life. I’m not just trying to build another SaaS or AI company—I want to build a magical brand, a movement. Theo is a bit amorphous, sure, but he also sounds trustworthy. Friendly. Like someone you’d actually want to talk to. In fact, my brother’s best friend is named Theo. But that’s not why I chose it. And no, it’s not short for one of my favorite presidents, Teddy either.
It was selfish, at first.
I named him after me.
My name, Johan, means God’s gracious gift. Theo means God’s gift. As a Christian, I hope to use this company to uplift others and glorify God. May Theo truly become a gift to the people who need it most.
I’m building this out loud, in public, with you. If you’ve ever dreamed of building something bigger than yourself—this is for you. For my users. For our customers. For our investors and my teammates. For anyone building something that matters.
Enough said. Let’s get to work.
Warmly,
Johan (aka Theodore Crown)