You, Too, Can Code and Invest

We have a three-phased approach for providing skills to Philadelphia youth to ultimately build a quantitative hedge fund for the benefit of the community.

Phase I - Education and Training (Years 1-2)

- Launch training curriculum to teach high school and college students about finance, coding, and how to build quantitative trading algorithms

Phase II - Scale The Program (Years 2-5)

- Prepare qualified students to pursue finance/computer science in higher education 

- Connect students with finance/technology firms for internships and careers

Phase III - Launch Community Fund (Years 5-10) 

- Build a quantitative hedge fund and allow community members to invest

- Raise an endowment that is equal to community investments. The endowment is perpetually invested in risk-adjusted instruments and the returns are accessible to qualifying local businesses and community development initiatives. The endowment will also act as security to minimize the community’s downside risk.

1. Students are unaware of investment opportunities/strategies. 

2. The financial services and technology industries suffer from a lack of diverse talent. 

3. Low-income people lack access to quality investment management, and low-income communities suffer from chronic underinvestment.

1. We will offer after-school educational/training opportunities. With an introduction to coding and finance, students will see the field as a viable career option.

2. We will provide the foundational knowledge necessary for students to be accepted into prestigious higher education and internship programs that lead to careers in financial services and technology

3. Leveraging the expertise and talent cultivated over several years, we will launch financial strategies to manage community members’ investments and execute strategic community development initiatives

Our solution serves low-income communities in Philadelphia. The impact on students’ lives will take the form of expanding career opportunities in finance and technology, providing a path towards generational wealth creation and service to their own communities. In a broader sense, we are laying a foundation for self-sustainable economic development in Philadelphia by improving education and regularly investing in local businesses and community initiatives.

Equitable access to jobs: Inspiring students to view finance and technology as a viable career option and training them to feel confident in their abilities. These career paths are likely to lead to generational wealth creation.

Generational wealth creation: Providing access to investment management and debt and equity investments to families and small businesses provides a path to wealth creation. Strategic investments in community development initiatives and real estate by a community fund allow the community to control over appreciating property. The recirculation of the BIPOC dollar means that money is reinvested into the community.

We have selected a concept because we would like feedback on the feasibility of this idea and advice for building our initial prototypes in the near future. We want to understand what milestones we should hit in order to qualify for maximum funding.