The startup banking platform built for ambitious founders

Banking for startups is less about a single account and more about the whole stack: where cash sits, how it's protected, how spend is controlled, and how everything reconciles. Look for four things — a platform that combines business checking, corporate cards, expense management, and treasury in one system; no ACH fees; deposit protection you understand (which chartered bank holds your money, and how much coverage each product carries); and human support that answers fast when something stalls.

Rho brings all of this together in one platform: checking, cards, expense management, AP automation, and treasury, with support response times under a minute, savings eligible for up to $75M in FDIC insurance through a partner-bank sweep network, and direct syncs to QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Sage.

No. Rho corporate cards are underwritten to the business with no personal guarantee, so a founder's personal credit doesn't backstop company spend. Traditional small-business cards typically still require one, which is worth checking before you apply anywhere.

If your raise exceeds $250,000 — most do — then yes, on day one. FDIC insurance covers $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, per ownership category. Sweep-network products close the gap by spreading deposits across many insured institutions automatically; capacity varies by platform and by product (checking vs savings vs treasury), so check the per-product limits, not the marketing headline. Rho savings, for example, is eligible for coverage well beyond the standard limit through a 400+ bank sweep network, while its checking — like every platform's — carries the standard limit at the bank that holds it.

Ideally never — that's the point of choosing well at seed. Switching means re-wiring payroll, vendor payments, every card-on-file subscription, and investor reporting, usually mid-growth when it hurts most. If your current platform has no treasury product, no credit path, and no accounting-stack integrations, plan the move before the finance hire, not after.

A bank holds a charter and your deposits directly. A fintech builds the software layer (the app, cards, payments, integrations) and partners with a chartered bank to hold deposits. You generally get better software from the fintech and the same deposit insurance through the partner bank.

At most banks, no — their onboarding is built around the EIN. Rho supports pre-EIN account opening: incorporate and open your Rho business account the same day, whether you form through Rho, Stripe Atlas, or Clerky. Your SS-4 is filed for you when you incorporate with Rho.