# From High School DECA Project to Live Fintech Startup Kanishk Sasikumar shares his journey building the gamified financial literacy app Investo. - **Source:** [The Startup Junkies Podcast](https://brifing.si/source/c535ff31-06f4-46a1-8ccf-00512fbafa13) - **Published:** 2026-11-03 - **Topic:** [Entrepreneurship](https://brifing.si/c/entrepreneurship) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/e3ec5b60-bb75-4343-ba6f-6f0d2a728668 ## Origin of Investo Kanishk Sasikumar, a senior at Bentonville High School, transformed a DECA competition project into a functional startup. Initially exploring an art tutor marketplace, the team pivoted to focus on teen financial literacy. The project gained momentum after placing sixth at the international DECA competition, eventually leading to a formal product launch. ## Gamifying Financial Education Investo addresses the lack of practical money management lessons in standard school curricula. By utilizing gamification, the app engages teenage users in learning complex financial concepts. The platform is currently available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, marking a transition from a theoretical notebook idea to live software. ## Strategic Business Pivot The founders initially experimented with an art tutor marketplace before identifying a stronger market need in financial literacy. This pivot highlights the importance of testing business models early. By shifting focus, the team successfully aligned their technical development with a clear educational problem that resonates with both parents and school administrators. ## Monetization and Growth Investo employs a freemium pricing model to lower the barrier to entry for student users. The team utilizes word-of-mouth marketing and participation in events like the Startup Crawl to acquire users. Scaling the platform involves navigating the complexities of marketing to teens while simultaneously proving value to institutional partners and parents. ## Co-founder Dynamics Kanishk built the platform alongside his co-founder, Arjun. The partnership emphasizes the necessity of complementary skill sets when launching a startup during high school. Their collaboration allowed them to balance academic responsibilities with the rigorous demands of software development, pilot testing, and the eventual deployment of the Investo mobile application. ## Overcoming Market Challenges The founder identifies marketing as a significantly more difficult challenge than the actual technical build of the application. Despite common fears among young entrepreneurs, Kanishk notes that ideas are rarely stolen. Instead, the primary hurdle remains executing the business model effectively and securing traction within a competitive landscape of educational tools. ## Institutional Partnerships Vision Looking toward a five-year horizon, the team is actively pursuing school bundles and strategic bank partnerships. These B2B channels are intended to integrate Investo into formal educational environments. By aligning with financial institutions, the founders aim to provide students with real-world context for the financial literacy lessons provided within the app. ## Lessons for Student Founders The journey from a high school project to a live startup demonstrates that age is not a barrier to product development. By focusing on tangible problems and leveraging competitive frameworks like DECA, students can build viable businesses. Success requires persistence in marketing, strategic pivoting, and the ability to manage time effectively. ## Sources covering this story - https://share.transistor.fm/s/fe88874e — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._