Financial literacy is often overlooked in mainstream education. Courtney Pettway recognized a significant gap that left students ill-equipped to navigate the complex terrain of personal finance when they reached adulthood. This gap is especially pronounced in underserved communities, perpetuating the cycle of financial inequality.
With a background in real estate investment, Courtney's journey into financial literacy began as a personal goal to learn more about it. She realized that crucial financial insights were absent from traditional curricula, which inspired her and her husband, Darius, to co-found KidVestors.
KidVestors is a digital platform and financial literacy curriculum for K-12 students. It stands for more than dollars and cents; it's also a mission for financial inclusion. Their goal is clear: empower the youth with essential financial skills, bridge the wealth gap, and foster a future where every student has equitable access to financial education.
We asked Courtney to share her insights into her vision, journey, and the impact she aspires to create.
What inspired you to co-found a company focused on financial literacy for youth?
CP: After graduating from undergrad and settling into my career, I realized that I wanted more. I no longer wanted to be bound to a desk from 9-5 and simply wanted more flexibility and freedom to own my time, be more present with my family, and pursue the things that I was truly passionate about. As a result, I began taking a deep dive into all things financial literacy.
That deep dive led me to become a self-taught investor, learn the ins and outs of the stock market, and how to invest in real estate. As a result, my husband (also co-founder) and I began purchasing investment properties and developed unexpected online traction as we transparently shared our journey of building our real estate investment firm with our audience. This also led to us hosting free in-person workshops teaching our methods as well. People were genuinely curious about how we had managed to begin building a real estate portfolio without coming from a wealthy background or being trust fund babies.
As we navigated our investor and entrepreneurial journey, we began to wonder why this information was not shared in the school systems. Our attendees, mostly minority professionals across the region, also expressed the same sentiment: “Why didn't we know about this when we were younger?” It was at that moment that my partner and I had an epiphany that we should do something about it. As a result, KidVestors was born.
Tell us about your team: Who’s on it, and how did you meet?
CP: We are a small team with a big vision. I have the privilege of co-founding this company alongside my husband, Darius Pettway. We met in 2007 on a basketball court in high school since our teams were rivals, so we have essentially grown up together. We were both fortunate to be introduced to our now Senior Engineer, Kweku Martin, through a mutual friend. Our advisor, Pai Charisika, has also been instrumental in helping us navigate all that comes with scaling a startup. It also helps that he has been a wealth advisor for over 20 years. We also have a team of animators, voice actors, designers, and others who have all played a vital role in making sure KidVestors continues to empower and impact our students by providing quality financial education.
As we navigated our investor and entrepreneurial journey, we began to wonder why this information was not shared in the school systems. Our attendees, mostly minority professionals across the region, also expressed the same sentiment: “Why didn't we know about this when we were younger?” It was at that moment that my partner and I had an epiphany that we should do something about it. As a result, KidVestors was born.
What does success look like to KidVestors in the short term and long term?
CP: In the long-term, success to KidVestors looks like becoming the leading, go-to company for school districts to provide financial education for K-12 students. In the short term, that looks like partnering with not only districts but private schools, charter schools, and other student-focused organizations. Thankfully, we are still early in this space as legislation is now beginning to require students to take FinEd courses in order to graduate.
Ultimately, our desire is to help narrow the wealth gap and the only way to accomplish this is through ownership of assets. However, you can’t begin to own assets if you were never taught how. This is why at KidVestors, we continue to fulfill our mission—“Financial Inclusion for All”—by ensuring equitable access to financial education for all students, and especially for underserved communities.
Find out more about KidVestors at kidvestors.co. Are you a startup based in or looking to relocate to Kentucky? Keyhorse’s current quarterly investment cycle is open! Apply now.
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