Read the original article here: https://www.14news.com/2023/12/05/former-evansville-signature-school-students-named-forbes-30-under-30/
Two former Evansville Signature School students found their names on this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
When 19-year-olds Kerry Ao and Naina Muvva found there to be a lack of financial literacy in the United States, Intertwined was born.
“We really saw that like, there was a want of students to learn financial literacy, to learn how the stock market works and all of that,” says Muvva.
“We realized that everyone is in a specific niche, right? Surprisingly, no one has taken this all-in-one approach, and that’s what Intertwined is doing,” explains Ao, “So, it’s this all-in-one software solution, ready to go out of the box, used specifically in the classroom.
When their story came out and Intertwined began receiving more attention, the two were nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education. At just 19 years old, Ao and Muvva found out last week they were now members of the prestigious club.
To see their profile on Forbes, click here.
“I woke up in the morning, and I went to lab, and in lab you’re not allowed to use your phone. When I got back, I saw about like 50 different texts from Kerrey and a bunch of calls about this, and I was just like, really shocked,” says Muvva.
“We found out with everyone else on Tuesday morning. I got an email and quickly checked out the website,” says Ao.
The success did not come overnight though. In fact, Kerrey and Naina can trace their roots right back to Evansville Signature School.
The idea of Intertwined was first grown by the two in their business club at Signature School.
Jose Mota had each of them in class as well as in business club and yearbook. Right away, he says he knew he had two bright minds on his hands.
“The first thing with both of them is their drive,” says Mota, “I told Kerrey, like I know, both Kerrey and Naina, you guys are going to be millionaires.”
Other than teaching and knowing them personally, Mota has another connection to both Ao and Muvva as well as the product itself.
“Their first time in yearbook they kind of worked on this particular book, ‘Intertwined.’ That name kind of stuck with them, especially as they were moving into the connectedness of everybody and financial literacy,” explains Mota, holding up a copy of the yearbook, “they were just like, ‘this is a really good name, could we use it?’ and I’m like, ‘of course you can use it.’”
After Intertwined won the University of Evansville Changemaker Challenge, they received some funding and the product was off the ground, entering classrooms across the country.
Meanwhile, Muvva and Ao were thrust into the spotlight of all things education.
They say it still doesn’t feel quite real, but they’re grateful to be the ones their investors, customers, and educators believed in enough to put in charge of making change.
“Having that support at the highest level has been impactful for us, and it’s been able to help us impact others as well,” says Ao.
“Forbes aside, everything aside, I have impacted someone else’s life,” says Muvva.
As for the future of Intertwined, Muvva and Ao say they hope to continue spreading their product across America, hopefully making the issue of financial literacy one that no longer exists.
Both of them say the company is still working to get into other classrooms, reach new investors, and grow.
To reach out to Muvva and Ao, they say to email them at hello@intertwinedfinance.com
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