Avenues New York’s Catherine Wins Grant for Her App

Avenues New York 10th grader Catherine was recognized as one of the 25 Prudential Emerging Visionaries. This program celebrates changemakers ages 14–18 who have formulated innovative solutions for financial and societal challenges in their communities and beyond.

Catherine—who was born and raised in Latin America—created the Girley app after investigating the causes of domestic violence in countries such as Mexico. She found that money was a key factor in gender dynamics and decided to create a tool to help women understand, secure and grow their personal finances. “The app begins with a simple five-minute quiz, where the user will get to know a little bit about themselves, their confidence and their financial abilities,” said Catherine. “After completing the questionnaire, they're put into a customized learning path.”

In addition to winning a grant, Catherine will also be sent to a three-day summit in which she will have the opportunity to meet and pitch her app to established entrepreneurs.

Previously, Catherine had given a TEDx Talk on Girley, focusing on how financial education is a key part of modern feminism. Check out her TEDx talk here.

Catherine first developed her app through Avenues’ Seedbank program—a global incubator where students in grades 6–12 can start or continue their journey of making the world a better place. This unique program helps early-stage student startups succeed by providing workspace, seed funding, mentoring and training. Learn more about Seedbank here.