Gamifying the gap between investing & education, for first-generation wealth builders.

Our Story

It all started in a classroom during the pandemic...

Ray'Chel, the CEO, wanted to make a change for her students experiencing a lack of financial well-being as they were about to graduate high school. This curriculum, informed by Ray'Chel's goal-based investing methods to pay off her student loans, was a hit and students had a particular interest in learning how to invest.

From there, the ForOurLastNames app was born.

Our Notable Achievements

  • October 2021

    Our parent company launched its first educational product, growing our initial investment by 300%. This milestone reflects our financial stewardship and low burn rates, which are attractive qualities for potential investors.

  • December 2021

    The same education product achieved international sales in the USA, Canada, and Germany, and had amassed an email list of 300+ customers.

  • February - June 2022

    Our CEO was featured in several national news outlets, including NASDAQ, the Chamber of Commerce, and the US Black Chambers, further establishing our credibility and reputation in the industry.

  • November 2022

    We began developing eLearning modules for the ForOurLastNames app’s personal finance and investing, demonstrating our commitment to product development & providing quality educational content to our users.

  • April 2023

    We conducted over 20 B2B customer discovery interviews to gather insights and add depth to our product-market-fit strategy.

  • August 2024

    Pitch to Accenture, Google, and SkysTheLimit, winning business funding to support waitlist launch!

The Dream Team

Ray'Chel Wilson, CFEI & CEO

Ray’Chel is a nationally regarded educator who is passionate about closing the racial and gender wealth gaps. During her time in nonprofit, Ray'Chel annually fundraised upwards of $800K. With an Investment Management specialization from University of Geneva, a BSPH from Ohio State University, and a Certificate in Women's Entrepreneurship from Cornell University, Ray'Chel brings a wealth of knowledge to her team and clients. Ray’Chel’s purpose is to empower us to build wealth for our last names.

Tiffany Bogert, CTO

Tiffany Bogert is an Associate Manager for Accenture, a global business leader accelerating change and innovation. Leading products in edtech, healthtech, and fintech, Tiffany has 7+ years of experience specializing in implementation and dev ops.

Lead Investor

Our Values

Excellence | Trust | Unity | Stewardship

Tiffany was a former mentor of Ray'Chel's first business, Raise the Bar Investments, which reached international sales of their Black Wealth Freedom workbook series. When ForOurLastNames CTO role opened, Tiffany was compelled to apply. Together, Ray'Chel and Tiffany are the cornerstones of the winning team to achieve a future where unrepresented people can build wealth for their last names.

Fintech Startup

ForOurLastNames, a subsidiary of the parent company Raise the Bar Investments, is a Fintech startup committed to providing high-quality personal finance and investing education to minority communities, with a particular focus on first-generation investors experiencing the racial wealth gap.

Our Vision

Our vision is to empower underrepresented individuals to make informed financial decisions that will positively impact their families for generations to come. This will support first-generation investors in building education & wealth. Why build wealth? For our (collective) last names.

Our Impact

Minority populations across the country consist of many aspiring first-generation investors. About 50% of Black Americans do not have invested assets. We aim to address the problem of disproportionate education and investing access by gamifying education & investing directly within our app.

Invest in FOLN

Winning Pitch for Good November 2023 - DO GOOD X Pitch

Winning Build in Tulsa’s December 2022 Female Founders Pitch

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