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EAST LANSING, Mich. — Pocketnest Inc, a financial planning platform which is part of Michigan Rise’s growing portfolio of startups, has recently partnered with Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) to provide its employees and members a new tool to manage their financial wellness. Founded in 1937, MSUFCU is a $5.7 billion credit union headquartered in East Lansing Mich., with nearly 900 employees and more than 300,000 members.
MSUFCU has a national reputation for excellence and has received several top industry and workplace awards. “We believe in the incredible power of technology, innovation, and fintech — especially for our Gen Z and millennial members who expect this level of modernization,” said Ben Maxim, MSUFCU’s Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation. “Pocketnest represents the engaging, hands-on, and DIY approach our members seek, and will be a key part of our new innovation center, The Lab at MSUFCU.”
“We are extremely excited to partner with Pocketnest and Jessica Wills. Jessica brings extensive experience and outstanding leadership to this fintech startup. If that was not enough it is rewarding to partner with MSUFCU, an organization with reputation for excellence in its industry. This is an awesome collaboration as we look to support and see Pocketnest scale to greater success.” said Jeff Wesley, Executive Director of Michigan Rise.
Pocketnest is a Michigan-based company that closes the gap between young people and their financial institutions, with a mission of making financial wellness accessible to everyone. Pocketnest guides users through all areas of personal financial health and education through a step-by-step, do-it-yourself (DIY) approach. The company’s CEO, Jessica Wills, was excited to partner with Michigan Rise on this venture. “Michigan Rise is helping make our mission of bringing financial wellness to the masses possible,” said Jessica Willis. “We are beyond grateful to work with an investor that shares our core values and can help us profoundly improve people’s relationships with their financial institutions.”
“Personal finance is ripe for disruption as millennials and Gen Zers crave more smartphone-based, DIY-like experiences from their credit unions — now, more than ever, as COVID-19 makes the need for innovation and smart, digital solutions immediate,” said Willis. “We created Pocketnest to bring financial freedom to the masses, while helping financial institutions create more powerful connections with their next-generation audience.”
The partnership officially kicked off this fall, with an initial employee release. One month into the activation, MSUFCU released the platform to a portion of its members.
