top of page

ABOUT US:
OUR JOURNEY SO FAR

FinStart was created by a small group of financial professionals with years of experience  in the sector.

 

​Our growing roster of advisors and supporters includes individuals with backgrounds in teaching, pension investment management, private equity, risk management, and banking.  

 

As we go along, we collect feedback from teachers, students and young adults and keep enhancing the FinStart platform.

2018

FINSTART IS CREATED

  • A small group of financial professionals built a self-study website for young adults

  • We tested the first version through focus groups in high schools and among college-age young adults

​

"I wish something like this was available when I was growing up!"

2019 Summer

RESOURCES FOR NEW CURRICULUM

  • New Ontario financial literacy curriculum for GLC20 (Grade 10 Careers) created an urgent need for new teaching resources

  • FinStart responded with a 'course binder' for the financial literacy component of GLC20, developed in partnership with experienced teachers. This included a curriculum-matching lesson plan, accompanied by classroom / homework activities

​

"I explored several lessons and found the material engaging and relevant for students."

2019 / 2020 School Year

TEACHER PORTAL LAUNCH

  • 180 teachers across Ontario engaged with FinStart

  • Our Teacher Portal, with its growing resources such as activities, case studies, and problem sets, became the focal point for teacher access and collaboration

  • We incorporated insights from focus groups with the graduating class the Education Department of a major Ontario university

  • ​We co-authored an article about FinStart classroom resources in The Rapport on the Ontario History and Social Science Teachers' Association

​

"I am teaching a vocational course that is attempting to teach the realities of financial responsibility to students. Your material looks excellent."

2020/2021 School Year

GROUNDBREAKING SENSOR TECHNOLOGY LAUNCHED

  • 267 teachers across Canada engaged with FinStart

  • We matched our content to all provincial curricula

  • COVID-19 heightened the need for FinStart's online resources

  • We added progress tracking and verification codes to FinStart's interactive learning modules to allow teachers to monitor completion

  • We respect student privacy - no registration or personal information are required to access the interactive learning modules

  • We created a newsletter for teachers, "Bringing Finance to Your Classroom", to delivery timely and professional content

  • We wrote "Nudged Into Financial Literacy", a reflection on our experience with financial literacy, framed by a a review of 82 academic papers that covered over 300 studies.

  • ​We responded to the call for consultative papers on financial literacy from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada

​​

"When I saw how interactive and fun to use it is, I thought it will be a fantastic resource."

2022

PARTICIPATED IN A START-UP INCUBATOR

  • Over 300 teachers across Canada engaged with FinStart

  • We are adding new interactive learning modules, with a focus on decision-making frameworks. For example, how to apply them to deciding whether, and how much, student debt is sensible, and how to become a financially savvy consumer.

  • "Bringing Finance to Your Classroom", our newsletter for teachers, is broadening the scope of topics we cover to include inflation, interest rates, and currencies. 

  • ​​We had an opportunity to participate in an international and multicultural startup accelerator, where we shared experiences with 11 other fintech and edtech startups that aim at creating social impact through improving financial literacy

​

"The case study, to me, is the most helpful as it forces problem solving."

2023/2024

REIMAGINING FINANCIAL LITERACY EDUCATION

  • Developed the FinStart Hackathon concept and prototyped it with students accross Canada.

  • Raised funding for our inaugural hackathon.

  • Launched the FinStart Financial Literacy Hackathon.

  • Wrote a research paper about the concept, "Reimagining Financial Literacy Education for Young Adults", supporting our findings.

​

"It's like the financial parent I never had."

bottom of page