Public, a U.S.-based investing mobile app startup, announced on Monday it secured $15 million through its Series B funding round which was co-led by Accel and Greycroft with participation from Dreamers VC, founded by Will Smith and soccer star Keisuke Honda, NFL player J.J. Watt, Girlboss founder and CEO Sophia Amoruso, Scott Belsky, founder of Behance and Adobe CPO, Blavity Founder and CEO Morgan DeBaun, Liontree Ventures, PLG Ventures, and Michael Vaughan, former COO Venmo.
Founded in 2017, Public describes itself as a new kind of brokerage that makes it possible to buy any public stock with any amount of funds.
“The stock market is one of the biggest drivers of prosperity in history. But the truth is, what’s supposed to be the public markets, are the markets for the few. Wealth creation has been locked up behind private banks, expensive financial products and $1,000 stocks.Public opens the gates by making investing free, social and slicing stocks into tiny bits so everyone can afford to own a piece of any public company. No matter their wealth or which circles they run in.”
The Public team further noted that they believe that creating a transparent community where people feel empowered to share why they invest, and to have open conversations about why others invest, is one of the most effective ways to promote financial literacy. The company then revealed the funds will be used to continue the growth of its platform. It went on to add:
“Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on delivering a modern, intuitive, and inherently social product experience — with new and improved features that make investing more accessible and offer even more ways to stay engaged with the companies you invest and believe in.”
