First Generation Investors

What First Generation Investors does

First Generation Investors (FGI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 at the University of Pennsylvania that delivers a free, near-peer investment education program to high school students in underserved communities across the United States. The core product is an 8-session investing course covering stocks, bonds, ETFs, portfolio diversification, and compound interest, taught by college student volunteers recruited from 30+ partner university chapters including Penn, Harvard, Yale, Duke, Morehouse, Spelman, and Tulane. Upon completion of the curriculum and graduation from high school, students receive $100 in real money held in custodial accounts during the program, with graduates 'graduating' to live investment portfolios on Public.com (which matches an additional $100 per student). Supporting offerings include Capstone portfolio presentations, an ETF Pitch Competition, an Executive Speaker Series, and an FGI Ambassador Program for alumni.

FGI does not sell a product or charge tuition. The program is offered at no cost to high schools or students, with all expenses (curriculum, tutor coordination, and the $100-per-student seed funding) funded by charitable contributions. Revenue streams consist of individual donations (tax-deductible under 501(c)(3) status) and corporate sponsorships from financial institutions and asset managers including Ares Management, Global Endowment Management, TIAA, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Raymond James, and Starboard Value, plus foundation-style gifts such as the $1 million donation from Stack Overflow co-founder Jeff Atwood in January 2025. The organization is operationally lean, with three full-time staff (Executive Director Stephanie Pressley plus heads of Development, Programming, and Partnerships) supplemented by approximately 270+ volunteer tutors and an emerging Board of Advisors that includes senior Wall Street executives.

FGI has impacted 4,200+ students cumulatively, funded 1,700+ investment accounts, and operates across at least five US regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Mid-Atlantic) with school-district partnerships including Philadelphia Board of Education, Columbia Double Discovery Center, and Durham Public Schools. Distribution is community-led via the university chapter network rather than through traditional sales or marketing channels, and the organization has earned credibility through coverage in Money Magazine, Barron's, and Yahoo Finance as well as a Candid Platinum Transparency Seal.

Name

First Generation Investors

Legal name

First Generation Investors

Website

https://firstgenerationinvestors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Generation Investors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2018 at UPenn, that delivers a free near-peer investment education program to high school students in underserved communities across the US. College tutors from 30+ partner universities teach an 8-session course, and graduates receive $100 in real seed funding plus matched Public.com investment accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Literacy Education

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Investing Fundamentals (Stocks, Bonds, Funds, Risk) (EDAAAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Personal Finance & Financial Literacy for Students (EDAMAIAH)

Keywords

• Financial literacy education
• Youth investing programs
• Near-peer mentorship
• High school investing curriculum
• Nonprofit financial education

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting the mission to provide financial literacy education to underserved high school students. All contributions are tax-deductible as FGI is a 501(c)(3) organization.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Funding from corporate partners including financial institutions, asset management firms, and foundations that sponsor chapters and fund student investment accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First Generation Investors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers a free 8-session long-term investing curriculum to high school students in underserved communities through near-peer mentorship by college student volunteers from 30+ partner university chapters. Each enrolled student receives $100 in real money held in a custodial account ($20 weekly increments over five weeks), produces a capstone portfolio presentation, and graduates to a live investment account on Public.com (with an additional $100 matching contribution) upon turning 18. All program costs—curriculum, tutor coordination, and student investment funding—are covered by individual donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

First Generation Investors (FGI) is a nonprofit educational organization offering a single, unified program centered on teaching high school students in underserved communities the power of long-term investing. The core offering consists of an 8-session investing course delivered through near-peer mentorship by college student volunteers. Students receive $100 in real money to invest via custodial accounts, complete capstone projects presenting their investment portfolios, and upon turning 18, graduate to real investment accounts on Public.com. Supporting programs include an Ambassador Program for young professionals, university partnerships (like Tulane offering course credit for tutoring), an Executive Speaker Series, and annual events like the ETF Pitch Competition. The organization was founded at the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 and has grown to partner with over 30 universities and numerous high schools across the country.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 8-Session Investing Course A near-peer mentorship program in which college student volunteers tutor high school students through an 8-session course covering basic investing topics including stocks, bonds, ETFs, portfolio diversification, and long-term investment strategies. Delivered free of charge to participating high schools.
• Real Money Investment Program Provides enrolled high school students with $100 in seed funding held in custodial accounts, distributed in $20 weekly increments over the five-week course. Students gain control of the account upon completing the program and graduating high school.
• Capstone Projects Students research and present a portfolio of stocks and mutual funds, strategically allocating their $100 stipend to demonstrate applied understanding of investment strategies. Capstones are presented at chapter and Annual Benefit events.
• Student Investment Accounts (Public.com Partnership) Upon completing the FGI program and turning 18, graduates receive a real investment account on Public.com. The platform matches each graduate's portfolio with an additional $100 contribution to invest.
• FGI Ambassador Program An alumni engagement program where former program participants and other young professionals host events and support the organization's mission beyond graduation. Grown to over 45 participants.
• Executive Speaker Series An initiative to bring industry professionals to speak with FGI students and tutors about career paths in finance and investing. Speakers have included SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, Gabe Plotkin (Charlotte Hornets majority owner), and senior staff at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and other firms.
• ETF Pitch Competition A competition in which students pitch ETFs and compete for additional money to be added to their portfolios, building on knowledge from the FGI curriculum.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4200+ students impacted
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Public.comcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 January 2022Partnership to provide FGI program graduates with real investment accounts on Public.com. Upon completing the FGI program and turning 18, students 'graduate' to a real portfolio on Public.com, with Public.com matching each student portfolio with $100 additional to invest.
• Capstone LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted internship info session for FGI tutors providing career development opportunities.
• Dynamics Search PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted career workshop for FGI tutors helping build professional skills.
• Harvard Graduate School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with FGI to refine curriculum and training materials for tutors and teachers.
• Yale UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university with active FGI chapter; Yale Club hosted FGI Ambassador event.
• National Urban LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization helping expand FGI reach to underserved communities.
• Columbia Double Discovery CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner program bringing FGI to Columbia's service area students through Double Discovery Center.
• William BlaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Harvard Graduate School of Education and FGI to refine curriculum and training.
• The Franklin InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted interactive financial literacy workshop for FGI student ambassadors with Drexel University tutors.
• Eagle Hill ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted virtual networking session for FGI college tutors to learn about consulting careers.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fginvestors
• Facebookfacebook.com/firstgeninvestors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about First Generation Investors