Meet Tash Grossman, Founder & CEO of Online Receipts App: Slip

Tash is a pioneer in the STEM sector which is dominated by men with less than a quarter of women in the space. The 25-year old is the Founder and CEO of Slip, a tech platform bringing a frictionless, omnichannel solution to the high street by digitising receipts and leveraging data for a seamless and connected customer experience. She has been recognised in TechRound’s 29 under 29, been a finalist in Verizon’s Young Entrepreneur Competition, graduated from the Founder Institute programme, was voted Retail Week’s Startup of The Year for Data & Insight and a finalist in Dell’s Women in Tech contest.

Using her own and others’ frustrations at the lack of digital options to innovate and simplify the retail experience for customers, as well as the fact that the current e-receipt landscape had significantly low adoption rates, mainly caused by the process-heavy checkout experience, she founded Slip in 2021.

Customers can collect digital receipts via QR code scanning, to view and manage their omnichannel spending and receive exclusive discount offers and personalised content based on what they buy. For retailers, it provides powerful data and insights around consumer trends at product level. With sustainability at its core, the company aims to eliminate harmful non-recyclable receipts.

Tell us about Slip, how did it all start?

In all honesty, it was a lightbulb moment in Zara. I was on a date and had asked the guy if he minded quickly popping in to the store with me so I could exchange a pair of trousers. The buckle had broken so they were unwearable, but on this occasion, like many before, I had lost the receipt.

After queuing for 30 minutes, I was told ‘no receipt, no return’ and stood awkwardly at checkout, holding the broken trousers. My date kindly offered to buy me a new pair, but feeling frustrated, I stubbornly refused and stormed out of the store. It was at that moment I questioned how purchases have become so advanced that I can pay using my watch, yet the post-payment experience is printed on a piece of paper that only ends up scrunched up in a kitchen drawer or lost in old plastic bags.

I wanted this to change, and that is how Slip began…

What challenges have you faced?

Like most entrepreneurs, one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is rejection. At the start, I would take each rejection so personally and admittedly, it took a while to understand that not everyone is going to like my idea, let alone love it as much as I do. Learning to turn these rejections into positive learning experiences has definitely been a big challenge, but has made me more resilient and open to constructive feedback.

Another key challenge has been in the hiring process. Of course, there is the obvious lack of tech talent and limited diversity in the industry but partnered with wanting to find candidates who are risk-adverse enough to join an early-stage startup, passionate about the vision and aligned with our values has been difficult. Thankfully, I have a great network who have been so supportive throughout the hiring process and I’m glad to say we are currently growing the team.

What can we hope to see from Slip in the future?

The next six months are all around product and business development, looking to launch our app in the summer for retailers and customers. We want to become the in-store checkout option of choice, providing frictionless and omnichannel experiences and helping everyone become more sustainable by going paperless. Slip will always be a diverse and inclusive company to work for and with, creating an impressive culture and legacy for years to come.