Grifin automatically buys you $1 of stock in the companies you shop at. The next time you purchase a cup of Starbucks coffee, you’ll automatically invest $1 into Starbucks stock. Ordered something from Amazon? You now own $1 of Amazon stock. With Grifin, your ownership comes with benefits. You’ll share in the growth of the companies you own. When they make money, you make money. You also have the ability to impact the decision making of your companies. Each dollar of ownership gives you the ability to vote on the future of the company.
Grifin was started in 2017 by Aaron Froug and Bo Starr, two students at the University of Florida. In their last semester at UF, the two started working on an idea to help their peers build a better relationship with money. After graduating with Bachelor’s Degrees in Economics and Finance, respectively, they both turned down job offers in the financial industry in order to stay in Gainesville and pursue Grifin.
While the Grifin app was started in Gainesville, the Grifin name was actually discovered on the other side of the world when the company’s third founder, Robin Froug, went to an Australian prison. While visiting, she came across a wall with names inscribed on it.
Written right next to each other were “Aaron” and “Bo” with the image of a griffin drawn above them. A Griffin is a mythical creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. They’re known for guarding people’s treasures and priceless possessions. So, with the writing literally on the wall, the Grifin name was born.
Over the last three years, the Grifin team has grown to include eight people across Gainesville and the state of Florida. These amazing people have designed and built a mobile app from the ground up, become an SEC-registered investment advisor, and leveraged their network to build a waitlist with thousands of people on it. Grifin has also worked with several organizations around Gainesville, including Collective & Co, The Selling Factory, and the Gator Hatchery.
The Grifin app will launch on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store in mid 2020. To get early access, you can sign up for the waitlist at grifin.com. The Grifin team is also looking to bring on new members! If you or somebody you know want to build the future of the financial industry, we’d love the opportunity to speak with you.
