About the Founder

I was born in Shimoga, a small village in India. When I was 5 years old, my dad decided to move our family to Lubbock, TX, so he and my mom could go back to college in the US. During that time, I saw first-hand how my parents were able to balance excelling in college, working jobs to pay for school and raising me. 

Their tenacity was ingrained into me from a young age. My first job was at 12 years old as a Baseball Umpire. At that time, I had never played or watched Baseball, but a friend told me it paid $17 / hour (this was in 2008).  I was sold! Throughout my childhood I had odd jobs, which included selling cookie dough, taking care of hermit crabs, interning at an aerospace company and working at Subway. This experience plus a college degree from Texas A&M (go Aggies!) landed me with a job in Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan. Prior to starting Kula, I spent 7 years working; J.P. Morgan for 3.5 years and subsequently for a few start-ups for another 3.5 years.   

My inspiration to start Kula stems from an unfortunate life circumstance. Two days after my sixteenth birthday, I lost my dad in an accident. That situation forced me to take control of my finances and be a support system for my family at 16 years old. Fast-forward 13 years, and I see a lot of peers my age who have still not taken charge of their finances. It's no fault of their own; they have not been provided the education necessary.   

So far, my life has taught me 2 major lessons: 

1. Circumstances can change in an instant and it is upon us to make sure we have built a good foundation
2. Making decisions from a place of fear holds us back from being able to pursue our dreams

I am looking forward to partnering with parents and being a resource for their kids. 

-Aakash G. Pai