Hadley

Name

Hadley

Legal name

Hadley Investment Co.

Website

https://gohadley.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Savings Fintech

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Worksite Financial Wellness & Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) (FSAIAMAN), Application Support, Matching Platforms & Scholarship Administration Services (EDAIAOAN)

Keywords

• 529 plan app
• Education savings
• 529 plan matching
• College savings platform
• Employer 529 benefits

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction Processing Fees: Hadley charges a per-transaction processing fee to cover the costs of moving funds from users' bank accounts to their 529 accounts. There are no advisory, sign-up, or subscription fees. The fee is tiered by contribution amount: $1.49 for contributions under $150, 1% for contributions between $150–$2,000, and a $20 cap for contributions over $2,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hadley is a mobile-first fintech platform that helps American families find, link, and fund 529 education savings plans through a free iOS/Android app. The platform's core functionality includes a guided "Find My 529" questionnaire that matches users to top-rated, low-fee 529 plans based on state residence, savings goals, and risk tolerance, plus an in-app gift contribution feature allowing family and friends to send money directly into a beneficiary's 529 account. Hadley also operates a B2B channel offering employers a 529 match benefit program through dedicated admin and employee portals.

Product overview

Hadley is a mobile-first fintech platform built around a single core product: the Hadley mobile app (iOS & Android), which helps families find, link, and fund 529 education savings plans. The app integrates with a proprietary plan-matching recommendation engine (the Find My 529 questionnaire) that directs users to top-rated 529 plans based on their state, savings goals, beneficiary age, and risk profile. For employers, Hadley offers a companion Employer Admin Portal and Employee Portal that enable companies to provide 529 benefit programs without payroll integration. The company's educational content hub, The ABCs on 529s Blog, supports the platform with state-specific deep dives and 529 literacy content. All components are unified around the mission of making 529 savings accessible and easy to administer for American families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hadley Mobile App (iOS & Android)

Quantifiable outcome

• Processing fee capped at $20 per contribution regardless of amount above $2,000 — far lower than typical advisory fees which can erode education savings over 18 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MorningstarcoreTechnology or IntegrationHadley uses Morningstar's independent 529 Plan ratings — which evaluate plans on fees, plan options, customer service, and program and state board oversight — as the primary basis for routing users to top-rated plans. Morningstar's Gold-rated plans serve as the benchmark for Hadley's recommendations.
• PlaidcoreTechnology or IntegrationHadley uses Plaid as a third-party service provider to access and retrieve users' bank account information (ACH authentication details, transaction data, account balances) when users link their bank accounts for 529 contributions. Plaid enables Hadley to facilitate payment flows between users' banks and 529 plan accounts.
• Stripe, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationHadley uses Stripe as its payment service provider for processing fees and related payment services. Stripe's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service govern the payment relationship. Hadley and Stripe share payment instructions and transaction data to complete user payments.

Scale indicators4 records

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity 529 Plan: Major brokerage offering direct-sold 529 plans with nationwide availability. Comparable as a distribution channel for 529 enrollment and contributions; incumbent with brand trust and existing employer 401(k) relationships that dwarf Hadley's reach.
• Schwab 529 Plan: Major brokerage distributing multiple state-sponsored 529 plans. Comparable as an incumbent channel and competes on plan selection, brand, and employer 529 benefits administration.
• Vanguard 529 Plan: One of the largest 529 plan program managers nationally with low-fee age-based portfolios. Competes head-to-head on Hadley's 'top-rated low-fee plan' recommendation value proposition via Vanguard's own low expense ratios.
• Ugift (Goldman Sachs): Goldman Sachs-owned gifting service embedded in many state 529 plans. Offers the same gift-contribution feature Hadley differentiates on, but is bundled into existing 529 plans rather than a standalone consumer app — represents the incumbent channel Hadley must displace.

Emerging players

• EarlyBird: UTMA/529 investing app with social gifting for kids' financial futures. Comparable mobile-first UX and family/friend gifting model; competes in adjacent child-investing subcategory that overlaps with 529 use cases.
• Goalsetter: Family financial education and savings platform with 529 investing features for kids/teens. Adjacent in target market (parents saving for children's education) and product (savings app with educational overlay), but broader scope including debit cards.

Direct peers

• Saving for College: Leading independent 529 plan comparison and research site. Directly comparable to Hadley's web-based plan matching and recommendation functionality; competes for the same consumer search intent around 'which 529 plan is best.'
• Backer: Mobile-first 529 gifting and education savings platform. Closest direct competitor on the social gifting mechanic and B2C consumer UX; targets the same family/friends gift contribution use case as Hadley.
• UNest: Mobile app enabling parents, family, and friends to invest in a child's future via 529 plans. Overlaps directly with Hadley's mobile 529 onboarding, plan selection, and family gifting features.
• CollegeBacker: 529-focused savings platform with social gifting for education savings. Comparable mobile experience and family-contribution loop; competes for the same 'save for college with help from family' positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/meethadley

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hadley