Lootlock Featured in TechCrunch Protecting Kids From Overspending one Game at a Time.

We’re proud to share that Lootlock has been spotlighted in TechCrunch in an article titled “Lootlock protects kids from overspending on gaming and will be presenting at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.” 

Here’s a snapshot of what they covered and what it means for us:

What TechCrunch Highlighted

• The Problem We’re Solving

  Many parents have shared horror stories about surprise gaming bills. Kids inadvertently rack up micro-transactions and in-app purchases without parents realizing until it’s too late. 

  
  

• What Lootlock Does

  Lootlock gives parents granular control over how their kids spend on gaming:

  
  

  • Issue a prepaid, controlled card that only works for gaming purchases 

  • Automate allowance or “top-ups,” but allow parents to lock portions until chores or tasks are completed (our “bounty boards”) 

  • Gamified financial education: kids earn points, unlock avatar rewards, and see their account behavior mapped into in-game metaphors 

  
  

• Industry Context

  TechCrunch called out the darker side of gaming: design tricks, behavioral tech, and player tracking used to nudge spending. 

  As our founder put it:

  “The gaming industry uses clever design, social engineering, and player tracking to encourage kids to spend more money while playing.” 

  
  

• Where We’re Headed

  Lootlock has been selected for TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield 200 and will be presenting at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 this October in San Francisco. 

Why This Matters

Getting this kind of press is a major validation of what we’ve built, and a signal to the world (investors, partners, parents) that this problem matters, and that solutions must evolve.

For families, it means more awareness. Many parents don’t realize how sophisticated the spending traps are in today’s gaming economy. With Lootlock, we aim to shift that dynamic so that kids earn financial skills, and parents maintain control and peace of mind.

For us, it’s fuel. We’re pushing forward on new features (expanded integrations, deeper gamification, analytics for parents) and using this visibility to open doors to strategic partnerships, distribution deals, and more.

Looking Forward

As we head into Disrupt, we’re setting our sights on raising a small angel round, further refining our product, and expanding our reach to families beyond our initial pilot communities.

Thank you to TechCrunch, to the parents and early users who believed in us, and to each of you for following our journey. Stay tuned, we’ll have updates live from Disrupt, and news of what’s next.