Hi, my name is Filitsa and I am asking for your support to launch a charity that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds compete on more equal terms, by reducing the financial barrier to academic tuition in high school and the class barrier to easily accessing meaningful professional networks at university and early career.

Why do I care? Here is a bit about me… I arrived in London 13 years ago with limited English, a low-income family and a disabled younger sister. I went on to earn a scholarship and a First-class degree from a Russell Group university and work as a banker and tech investor in the City. This path taught me that tutoring and coaching makes a difference for exams; that having a network and knowing how to network makes a difference in professional careers. I noticed the importance of these resources and skills because I didn’t readily have them. Now, I want to use my experience to give others from similar backgrounds a head start compared to what I had.

What is my plan? I intend to connect three groups (high-schoolers, university students and Finance professionals) in a chain of social impact. The idea is for university students to tutor high-school students for free and get to book 1-to-1 calls with professionals as a reward for their volunteering. This will be delivered through a two-sided platform: an online classroom, on one side, for lessons between students and tutors, and a booking system where tutors can arrange calls with professionals, on the other.

What difference does it make? High school students get subject-specific support and a “student-coach” to successfully apply to top universities that will lead them to top jobs. Instead of relying on cold-messaging or crowded networking events, university students gain direct access to professionals from their first year of university, helping them explore careers, find mentors and build meaningful networks across firms and industries, early enough to meaningfully influence their trajectories. Not to forget the professionals, who will benefit from a convenient, time-efficient way to give back and will know their volunteering time is multiplied downstream.

Where will your money go? To building the first version of the tech platform and piloting the programme. This includes the cost of a web designer, hosting, a website domain, legal fees and the recruitment of participants.

No donation is too small - thanks for your support!