29-01-2025
Ariel Dangelo Turned Personal Tragedy into a Mission to Aid Individuals with Financial Wellbeing with Helo
Kyle J. Russell
Contributor
In the aftermath of a life-altering tragedy, Ariel Dangelo found an unshakable purpose. A near-fatal horse-riding accident in 2020 left her paralyzed from the shoulders down, with no guarantee she'd ever walk again. Yet, against all odds, Ariel regained her mobility. While her story of physical recovery is extraordinary, it is the financial foundation she built beforehand that truly defined her outcome. 'I was 27 when this happened and couldn't do anything myself,' she recalls. 'But because my husband and I had already paid off our house, built a substantial emergency fund, and lived within our means, I could afford the treatments and therapies I needed—even the ones insurance couldn't cover. Most people aren't that stable, especially those like us who don't have financial assistance from their family.'
This realization that the majority of Americans are just one unexpected event away from financial ruin ignited Ariel's mission to make financial stability accessible to everyone. That mission took shape in Helo, a revolutionary financial software designed to empower users to take control of their money and their futures.
Helo is not just another 'budgeting tool'; it is a comprehensive financial management system. The app teaches users how to live within their means through their smart banking platform which allocates their income to strategically save, and live a financially sustainable life, all while having a positive relationship with money.
The journey began with Ariel's first company, Nightingale Wealth Solutions, a women-owned fiduciary financial advisory firm specializing in helping families and high-net-worth individuals achieve their financial goals. Yet this financial advisor-innovator, who has been in the industry for more than a decade, noticed a pattern: no matter how much money her clients earned, few had a clear understanding of their expenses. Ariel further explains, 'Everyone can tell you what they make, but almost no one can tell you how much they spend. Would you take advice from a CFO who could only tell you the revenue of a business and not the operating costs? Without understanding the expenses, how will one make informed decisions?'
She realized this knowledge gap wasn't limited to her affluent clients; it was a systematic issue affecting households across the economic spectrum. Meanwhile, predatory financial products such as earned wage access programs and buy-now-pay-later schemes were exacerbating the problem. 'Helo was born out of necessity,' Ariel says. 'I wanted to create a tool that doesn't just manage money but transforms the way people interact with it—building lasting habits that eventually lead to financial freedom.'
Helo stands out by combining behavioral science with cutting-edge technology to address financial health holistically, and for all ages—whether it's a Gen-Zer who has just started working or is at their peak as a professional, to retirees who want to sustain until the end of time. With its offerings such as automated cash flow management, emergence fund creation, debt reduction tools, and comprehensive financial insights, Helo is giving its users a lifeline.
Ariel's personal experience, analytical mind, and decade-long industry expertise give her a unique perspective on this urgency for financial preparedness. She notes, 'People don't understand the importance of having an emergency fund until it's too late. I dream that, in my lifetime, every American family has a 10-thousand-dollar emergency fund. That level of security changes lives.'
Since its inception, Helo has been steadily gaining traction. The platform has already launched the Beta version in the web-based application format, with a premium version of the same along with the mobile app slated for release in Q1 of 2025. But Ariel's ambitions don't stop there. 'In the next three years, we plan to start our global expansion of Helo. Our ultimate goal is to make financial wellness a global standard.'
Helo's tagline, 'For a Better Future', encapsulates its ethos: empowering users to master their finances through smarter habits and innovative technology. 'Helo is not just another fintech App trying to sell you something, we are protecting our client's data, protecting our client's financial interests, we are protecting people from the little spending goblin within all of us. Empowering individuals, strengthening families, and cultivating better communities, leads to a healthier Nation and brighter future,' the visionary founder concludes.
Helo is also in the midst of its second capital raise, which the startup will use to build out its sales and marketing capabilities. If you are interested in investing, please reach out to invest@
