A growing number of states are now requiring high school students to take financial literacy classes as a prerequisite for graduation. This recognition emphasizes the importance of conveying core life skills related to budgeting, saving, investing, and debt management. While schools strive to incorporate this course, financial institutions are equally keen to improve the financial capabilities of their customers’ families. Goalsetter is her B2B financial literacy platform for financial institutions, wealth managers, and credit unions that allows K-12 students and their families to learn more about personal finance in an engaging and age-appropriate way. can. The platform’s award-winning curriculum combines elements of games, GIFs, and pop culture to foster meaningful engagement. Goalsetter has forged strategic partnerships with leading financial service providers to provide clients with white-label, turnkey use banking solutions. The company currently offers savings accounts and spending management tools with plans to leverage its strong relationships with financial institutions and credit unions to integrate more live banking features into its platform.
alley watch We spoke to the founder and CEO of Goalsetter Tanya Van Court To learn more about the business, the company’s strategic plans, its latest funding round that brought total funding to $39.7 million, and more…
Who are your investors and how much did you raise?
This latest round of goalsetters is an extension of Series A; edward jones and MassMutual through it MM Catalyst Fund.Series A investors Fiserv, Webster Bank, Seae Ventures, Astia Fundand New York City Partnership Fund Participated in a round with new investors Reseda group and In-touch CU.
What products or services does Goalsetter offer?
Goalsetter provides financial institutions, credit unions, and wealth management providers with an award-winning, education-first family finance platform focused on fun and engaging financial literacy tools that empower K-12 students and their families. and technology platforms. In 2022, Goalsetter was recognized by Fast Company as one of the “Brands That Matter,” highlighting its cultural and social impact and the innovative value it brings to the financial education space.
How did you start becoming a goal setter?
I was inspired to start my company when my 8-year-old daughter asked for an investment account and a bicycle for her 9th birthday. I recognized the potential impact of giving every child in America the tools to save and invest, changing their role from consumer to saver to investor.
How is it different from a goal setter?
Goalsetter is different in that it focuses on education-first financial solutions, teaching kids and teens the language of money in a relatable and engaging way through games, GIFs, and pop culture references. The purpose is Financial tools, including FDIC-insured savings accounts, investment platforms, and parental control features like “Learn to Earn” and “Learn Before You Burn,” which allow kids to earn money by answering financial quiz questions. offers a complete suite of If you don’t take the weekly quiz, your debit card will be frozen. This approach targets intergenerational knowledge and wealth building from kindergarten through graduation and beyond.
What market does Goalsetter target and how big is it?
Goalsetter primarily works with financial institutions, credit unions and asset management companies to engage the K-12 youth market and their families. This demographic is digitally native and highly diverse, with approximately 68 million people in the United States accounting for 25% of the population and estimated to hold $140 billion in purchasing power. This is an important market that has a significant impact on current and future financial trends.
What is your business model?
Goalsetter’s business model involves partnering with financial institutions, credit unions, asset management companies, and school systems to white-label the platform. These partnerships and his B2B model have enabled Goalsetter to more broadly distribute educational tools and financial services, transforming access to financial education in America.
How are you preparing for a potential economic slowdown?
Diversify your revenue sources, manage burn with growth opportunities, redouble your efforts to achieve profitability, and grow as you earn revenue.
What was the funding process like?
We have a strong business model, strong traction and a strong pipeline, and that’s what funders want. Funders value pivots when the economy changes, but are wary of so-called pivots without a strong plan. Since securing its first Series A round two years ago, Goalsetter is a B2B-focused fintech that has executed on its strategy to provide security to credit unions, banks, asset management companies, and school systems. We have provided a platform that supports both financial and financial aspects. Prepare the next generation of customers. Our investors saw the value we provide to enterprise customers and were excited to join us in that journey. This made the funding process very easy as we have a proven B2B business model and were seeking capital from strategic partners who recognized the need for Goalsetter’s solution in their ecosystem. I did.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while raising money?
The biggest challenge we faced was people confusing Goalsetter with B2C teen banking platforms on the market. Once we understood both how different our products were and how differentiated our business model was, things took off. We are the market leader in B2B financial services and serve 100% of financial institutions and their needs. We are not a B2C fintech business trying to disrupt the ecosystem. We’re actually strengthening the financial services ecosystem. This means our model, customers, partners and future market opportunities are very different from the teenage challenger banks.
What factors about your business led investors to write a check?
Goalsetter’s investors recognized us as a market leader in B2B financial services delivery, with a 100% alignment with financial institutions and their needs. We are not a B2C fintech business trying to disrupt the ecosystem. We’re actually strengthening the financial services ecosystem. Our story is told by the successful execution of our go-to-market strategies for businesses ranging from credit unions and banks to asset management companies and school systems.
What milestones do you plan to achieve in the next six months?
Over the next six months, we will continue to enhance our product suite and sign and launch new partners. We will leverage additional capital to grow our human and technical resources at a constant pace, focusing on where our partners need us most and where the greatest opportunities for expansion and expansion lie in the financial services and education ecosystems. We will ensure that we can grow.
What advice can you give to New York companies that are not injecting new capital into their banks?
The advice we give these companies is that during slow periods, they need to sit down and have a strategy session that focuses on the three Ps: Pivot, Profit, and Partnership. Can you pivot to strengthen your business within the existing economy? Is there anything else you can do to set yourself up for success? Diversify your revenue streams or weather the storm and prepare for long-term growth. Can you achieve profitability by taking advantage of short-term opportunities that help you? Partnerships: Do you have essential partners on your team or ecosystem who can accelerate your growth? How can you engage them? Can you provide great value and can they provide great value to you?
Where do you see the company going in the short term?
Goalsetters are already paving the way for what household finance should be, and are increasingly supporting financial institutions that recognize that household finance is the future of finance. We will continue to help credit unions, regional banks, and asset management companies become relevant for the next generation. Our products also enable them to be as nimble as the next generation when it comes to ever-changing technology tastes and interests. .
Our country has seen entire industries turned upside down by technology disruptors who target the next generation of customers and strip them away when they are 16 and 17 years old, and the financial services industry is no exception. there is no. They are on the brink of disruption, and our constant evolution is helping them continue to provide a viable set of services as the country’s financial landscape and financial service users evolve. Masu.
What is your favorite restaurant in the city?
Tatiana of Brooklyn. The crunchy okra was amazing and my 8 year old son said there was no shrimp like Mama Duke’s shrimp.