Why Odo?

I always, always wanted a big family. My parents divorced when I was little and both remarried. From a very young age I had new siblings popping up on both sides of my family and I quickly learned that I was never alone. I wanted the same for my kids.

At the same time, I’m an explorer at heart, my first big international trip was to Egypt with my college at age 18.

Family and travel are my two biggest passions, but neither one of them is cheap.

Not being able (or willing) to invest seemed like a regular part of my life. After graduating in 2011 with my second Bachelor’s Degree, I couldn’t find a job. Hell, I couldn’t get an interview. All that money I spent on (read: borrowed) college felt like a huge waste.

Today, I’m a 34-year-old woman with two college degrees, a military spouse, four children, and a job that pays the bills. That being said, there never seems to be “extra” money available and we haven’t saved or invested nearly enough.

It just never felt realistic.

I’ve always known that I should be saving for retirement, but it never seemed realistic.

How will I invest into retirement AND pay my student loans AND pay my mortgage?

How can we continue to travel if we are investing the “extra”?

If we put the “extra” funds into retirement, will we be able to cope financially if there is an emergency?

These are common questions among millennials, so I know I’m not alone.

The beginning of my investment journey

Four years after losing my job at a digital marketing agency and launching a consultancy for early-stage startups, things were starting to look bright. I was (mentally) ready to start saving for retirement. My accountant suggested launching an account with a big financial services company. And so I opened a 401K, just like a grown up.

It wasn’t that simple, though. Now I had to decide where to invest the money and navigate an impossible interface to do it. (Just because a company makes a portal for their customers does not mean it’s easy to figure out or use.)

Between mothering all those kids, running the business, and holding down the fort when my husband traveled for work, I didn’t have that much “brain space” to research index funds, mutual funds, ETFs, and all the investment things. I wasn’t educated and I wasn’t confident, so I just didn’t put the money into the accounts. For weeks.

After the decision was finally made, I can’t say that I felt particularly good about it.

Meeting my co-founder…. And Odo

A few months later I saw a post in one of my entrepreneur groups that a new fintech was looking for a CMO. I read the job description and it seemed perfect. The company was offering loss-protected, decision-free investing. I was intrigued. Where was this when I needed it a few months ago? Hell, I needed this in my twenties.

The job had a salary, which was also greatly appreciated. I reached out and the woman in my network passed my info along to the founder Porter Bayne. We set up a day and time for a Zoom meeting. All seemed right with the world.

About two days before the call I got an email from Porter: The super angel that was funding this round backed out, and there was no salary on the table. He understood if I didn’t want to connect this early — but I still did.

That first call turned into a second. And then a third. And after hours on Zoom, discussions with my spouse, evaluations of our finances, and more, I was offered the co-founder position. (For equity, of course.)

I’ve had several offers to work for equity over the years since I began my journey in the startup world, and in those early years, an experienced CEO of a successful company in Colorado Springs where I was based gave me this friendly advice: DON’T DO IT.

You have a family to support. You need to be compensated for your work. Startups can be incredibly unpredictable. Don’t come onboard until they have cash in the bank.

I took that advice to heart over the years never joining any startup for equity. It was still relevant a year ago — but Odo was different. I wouldn’t be putting in sweat equity to build someone else’s dream. This was now my dream, too. This is the company I wish had existed 15 years ago when I could have and should have started investing — but didn’t.

And so, I signed on as co-founder of Odo.

Why I’ve never looked back

That was almost a year ago. An entire year. So much can happen in one year.

The first thing we did was run a Beta to validate our idea. (Check! We’re totally validated.)

Second thing was an almost impossible feat…. We partnered with a top 5 investment bank to fuel our loss-protection product. (Check! Check!) More on how that works here.

Third thing was to start fundraising. This hasn’t been an easy journey. (Shocker, I know.) The downturn in the financial market has made this process even more challenging than before — but I’ve never once questioned my decision to join Team Odo.

Amid the ups and downs, one thing always remains clear — investing is an essential part of growing money and preparing for the future — and it’s something that I put off for way too long. Growing Odo will continue to be difficult, but it’s something we need out in the world, so it will continue to be necessary.

If you’re looking for a better way to invest and to engage with your finances, we’re building it for you right now. Sign up to be an early adopter at www.odo.works/waitlist