About
We wanted to send an invoice.
Not get a degree in enterprise software.
HootZen started the way most software does — frustration. One of us was running a small studio. Another was freelancing for clients overseas. Both of us were using Zoho Books. Both of us were spending twenty minutes to send a single invoice.
That's when it clicked: enterprise invoicing tools are built for a CFO with a procurement team and a five-person accounting department. Most of the features exist because some Fortune 500 buyer asked for them in 2014. Nobody actually uses them.
But every solo founder, freelancer, studio owner and small-business operator is paying $30/month and clicking through 47 menu items — just to send a ₹50,000 invoice.
So we're building HootZen. Invoicing stripped to what you actually use. No SKU codes. No multi-warehouse logistics. No approval workflows. No two-hour onboarding call. Just clean invoices, fast — and your money in the bank.
The mascot
Ollie isn't just decoration.
Ollie is an owl. Owls are wise, watchful, and mildly judgy about late nights. Right now, Ollie is the character on our brand. Soon, Ollie will be the AI assistant baked into the product.
We're shipping Ollie's features in phases through 2026: drafting invoices from messages, chasing late payers in your voice, summarizing your week in six words. We'd rather have one AI that does three things well than ten that hallucinate.
How we build
The rules.
01
Default to fewer features.
Every feature we add is a feature you'll scroll past. We add carefully. We remove unceremoniously.
02
Mobile is real, not a checkbox.
Designed mobile-first. Not 'responsive' — actually built so you can do everything on a phone. Because most of you do.
03
Your data is yours.
One-click CSV exports, PDF downloads, bulk data dumps on request. We don't hold your invoices ransom.
04
India-aware, globally usable.
Built in India, by people who bill overseas clients. GST, LUT, FIRC — handled. But it's not just for India.
05
AI that earns its keep.
No AI for AI's sake. Ollie ships when it's actually better than what you'd type yourself. Not before.
06
Pricing that's honest.
Free during beta. Founding rate locked in for early users when paid tiers ship. No predatory upsells.
Come build with us.
HootZen is in open beta. We're shipping fast and listening hard.
Get started free