Nice To Meet You
I'm Angel Padulo
A mom to 2 inquisitive and adorable daughters (and a really cute dog), a wife and dedicated entrepreneur with a goal of making an impact in children's lives, especially young girls'. As a first generation American of immigrant parents, my family and I struggled financially throughout my childhood. My parents did not know anything about investing, but they did try to save what little they earned, although it was never enough. My first job was at the age of ten, as a newspaper deliverer. I saved every dime to help fund my college years and I was the first in my family to earn a college degree. I imagine if I had been given an education in personal finance, life would have been quite different.
Fast forward, after years of planning & managing the Mid-Atlantic Angel Venture Fair (an expo for entrepreneurs to raise capital from VCs and angel investors), I grew frustrated with the scarcity of women investors in the room. I was determined to help change this for the benefit of female entrepreneurs, and for women to learn about all of the financial freedom that comes from being an investor.
I especially want to see more minority women investing in their futures, and in their children’s. As a mother, my goal is to grow my wealth for future generations to come, and to alter & raise the trajectory of the next generation of all girls and boys.
I'm Robert Padulo, PhD
A father of 2 girls, a husband, entrepreneur, angel & venture capital investor, and teacher, with the ideal background to lead the Startup Smart Kids programs. At age 20 I taught English as a Second Language to women secretaries, and to high-schoolers preparing for college entrance exams, in Japan. While at Harvard I both tutored high school students, and taught 6th graders dance-theater through CityStep. After graduating college, I was a 6th grade math & 8th grade science teacher, high school coach, and supervisor of the community service club. I then earned my Ph.D. in business at Oxford University. I was fortunate to be hired as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where I worked in the London, New York and San Francisco offices.
I have been an entrepreneur much of my life (since elementary school) and in recent years a full-time professional investor in startups. My pay-it-forward mentality has led to my coaching, advising and consulting to over 100 startup CEOs. An investor in some of these companies, I certainly want to ensure my investments will earn a great return! As an active member of several leading angel groups and angel venture funds, I pride myself on being a strong due diligence leader and a sought-out expert, especially in the areas of startups’ boards and exits.
I’m the product of excellent public schools and world-class undergraduate and doctoral educations. Yet I was never taught personal finance (or entrepreneurship). I’ve come to realize that society expects everyone to simply learn this vast, complicated and difficult material on their own. Good luck with that! The best most people can do is get it in dribs and drabs, because there has been no comprehensive, high quality, easy-to-follow program out there. Until now.
We’re doing our best to fill that void with Startup Smart Kids.
Why We Do It
One of the most important reasons is: We want the same thing for our children. We want to empower our daughters to be financially secure, to reach beyond our own accomplishments and have even more opportunities than we did.
The earlier our kids learn the fundamentals of personal finance, the better off they will be throughout their lives — and knowing that they’re well-prepared and on a path for a lifetime of financial security gives us both great peace of mind.
