Public
“Can a social investing app become the AI-powered, multi-asset financial OS for retail investors by combining commission-free trading with AI research, fixed income, crypto, and high-yield savings?”
Founded in 2017 as a social investing app for commission-free fractional stock trading, Public expanded beyond equities into a multi-asset retail investment platform. By 2023, it had added Treasuries, High-Yield Cash Accounts, Bonds, and Direct Indexing — pivoting toward becoming a comprehensive wealth-building platform rather than just a social brokerage. The 2024 Series D-2 cemented a strategic focus on AI-driven investment research and expanded asset classes including Crypto IRAs and margin lending, positioning it as an AI-first investment platform competing with Robinhood and Fidelity.