The Problem as I See It
There are systems in our world that feel punitive by design. They are not designed to help; they are designed to hinder.
They thrive on a kind of complexity that is so overwhelming it can make good people feel helpless. I've seen this create real struggles for people I care about, both with their finances and with their health.
I can't keep standing by and watching bullies—whether they're predatory companies or just faceless, frustrating bureaucracies—win by default.
A Note From the Founder
My name is Andrew. Retomar is my response.
I'm not a savior, and I don't have all the answers. I'm a product manager. For my entire career, my job has been to listen to users, understand their reality, and then fight to make the technology serve them, not the other way around. My strength isn't in writing a single line of code; it's in seeing the whole system and architecting a simpler, more humane path through it.
For years, I've had ideas for tools that could help. Now, I finally have the ability to build them.
The inspiration for my projects comes from a deeply personal place. It comes from the need to bridge communication gaps with family, and from the anger of seeing good people get trapped by systems they can't control.
This is not about me. But I want you to know who is behind this. I'm someone who believes in fighting for a fair shake, and this is my way of getting in the fight.
July, 22, 2025
★Retomar
★Retomar
Building a Tool, Not Another Problem
July 23, 2025
We’ve all had that feeling. You open an app or a website to do one simple thing, and you're met with a wall of buttons, pop-ups, and confusing menus. You feel your frustration rise. For me, that feeling is more than just an annoyance; a cluttered, confusing interface is a visceral source of anxiety. I can't stand information overload.
Technology should feel like an extension of you. It should be smooth as butter. It should get out of your way and let you accomplish your task. It should be a tool that helps, not another problem you have to solve.
Sadly, so much of the technology we use today is designed to do the opposite. It’s built to keep you engaged, to harvest your data, to sell you something. It adds to your cognitive load instead of reducing it.
This is the core belief I'm building Retomar on.
My obsession is to create tools that are relentlessly simple. Tools that are calming. Tools that respect your attention and your intelligence.
For an app like Hearful, this means every screen is designed to provide clarity in a moment of confusion, not add to it.
For a tool like Na Régua, it means the entire experience is focused on one job: helping you navigate the chaos of your bills without feeling overwhelmed.
I've spent my career fighting for this kind of simplicity on the inside of large companies. I’ve seen how easy it is for good intentions to turn into a frustrating user experience. I refuse to let that happen here.
This is my promise: I will not build technology that creates anxiety. The tools I build will be quiet, reliable allies. They will be built to help. That's it.
What 'Retomar' Means to Me
Posted: July 15, 2025
For the last ten years, my career has given me the incredible gift of working internationally. Of all the places I've been, Brazil has captured my heart. It's a place that felt mystical to me long before I ever visited—the food, the music, the sheer warmth of the people. I love the way business meetings start with hugs, the importance of family, and the easy closeness between people.
As I started learning Portuguese and spending more time there, my affection grew. But I also began to recognize a familiar struggle.
I saw the same kind of soul-crushing bureaucracy and punitive financial systems that exist all over the world. I saw good, hardworking people get trapped in cycles of debt, overwhelmed by processes that seemed designed to make them fail. It's a global issue, where late fees are used not as reminders, but as money-making machines for powerful interests.
I am an outsider in Brazil. I know that. No amount of Portuguese will change it. But sometimes, an outsider can offer a different perspective. It’s like trying to untangle a difficult knot—the person who has been struggling with it for hours can get stuck, but sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can spot the one thread to pull that makes everything else come loose.
And I saw a way I could help.
I could build a simple tool to help people manage their bills. A tool to make interest rates and due dates clearly visible. A tool to help them organize the chaos and avoid the traps. A tool that remembers there's a human being at the other end of the transaction.
That frustration slowly turned into an inspiration, and now, a passion.
This is where the name comes from. Retomar is a Portuguese word. It means "to take back." Not like returning to a place, but like taking back something that was yours.
To take back your power.
To take back your dignity.
To take back control.
I'm not going to change the world with an app. But if I can build something simple that helps someone hold on to a little more of their money, sleep a little better at night, and feel like they have a fair shot, then I've done something more than just complain from the sidelines.
That's what Retomar means to me. It's a start.
Building a Tool, Not Another Problem
July 23, 2025
We’ve all had that feeling. You open an app or a website to do one simple thing, and you're met with a wall of buttons, pop-ups, and confusing menus. You feel your frustration rise. For me, that feeling is more than just an annoyance; a cluttered, confusing interface is a visceral source of anxiety. I can't stand information overload.
Technology should feel like an extension of you. It should be smooth as butter. It should get out of your way and let you accomplish your task. It should be a tool that helps, not another problem you have to solve.
Sadly, so much of the technology we use today is designed to do the opposite. It’s built to keep you engaged, to harvest your data, to sell you something. It adds to your cognitive load instead of reducing it.
This is the core belief I'm building Retomar on.
My obsession is to create tools that are relentlessly simple. Tools that are calming. Tools that respect your attention and your intelligence.
For an app like Hearful, this means every screen is designed to provide clarity in a moment of confusion, not add to it.
For a tool like Na Régua, it means the entire experience is focused on one job: helping you navigate the chaos of your bills without feeling overwhelmed.
I've spent my career fighting for this kind of simplicity on the inside of large companies. I’ve seen how easy it is for good intentions to turn into a frustrating user experience. I refuse to let that happen here.
This is my promise: I will not build technology that creates anxiety. The tools I build will be quiet, reliable allies. They will be built to help. That's it.
What 'Retomar' Means to Me
Posted: July 15, 2025
For the last ten years, my career has given me the incredible gift of working internationally. Of all the places I've been, Brazil has captured my heart. It's a place that felt mystical to me long before I ever visited—the food, the music, the sheer warmth of the people. I love the way business meetings start with hugs, the importance of family, and the easy closeness between people.
As I started learning Portuguese and spending more time there, my affection grew. But I also began to recognize a familiar struggle.
I saw the same kind of soul-crushing bureaucracy and punitive financial systems that exist all over the world. I saw good, hardworking people get trapped in cycles of debt, overwhelmed by processes that seemed designed to make them fail. It's a global issue, where late fees are used not as reminders, but as money-making machines for powerful interests.
I am an outsider in Brazil. I know that. No amount of Portuguese will change it. But sometimes, an outsider can offer a different perspective. It’s like trying to untangle a difficult knot—the person who has been struggling with it for hours can get stuck, but sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can spot the one thread to pull that makes everything else come loose.
And I saw a way I could help.
I could build a simple tool to help people manage their bills. A tool to make interest rates and due dates clearly visible. A tool to help them organize the chaos and avoid the traps. A tool that remembers there's a human being at the other end of the transaction.
That frustration slowly turned into an inspiration, and now, a passion.
This is where the name comes from. Retomar is a Portuguese word. It means "to take back." Not like returning to a place, but like taking back something that was yours.
To take back your power.
To take back your dignity.
To take back control.
I'm not going to change the world with an app. But if I can build something simple that helps someone hold on to a little more of their money, sleep a little better at night, and feel like they have a fair shot, then I've done something more than just complain from the sidelines.
That's what Retomar means to me. It's a start.