Jonathan Petts

Yo, have you heard of Jonathan Petts? Dude’s the real deal in the startup world, especially when it comes to social impact and justice. He’s the CEO and co-founder of Upsolve, this sick nonprofit that’s all about helping low-income folks crush their debt and get back on their feet. Think about it, he jumped into this game back in 2016, right out of Harvard Law, where he was incubated at the Access to Justice Lab. Basically, he saw a huge problem, people drowning in debt they can’t escape, and decided to build something to fix it. No bullshit, just straight-up impact.

Before all that, Jonathan’s been deep in the legal trenches for over a decade. He’s worked at big law firms like Morrison & Foerster and Milbank, Tweed, where he learned the ins and outs of bankruptcy law. Dude even clerked for U.S. Bankruptcy Court judges, Hon. Allan Gropper in SDNY and Hon. Benjamin Goldgar in Illinois. That’s serious creds. Basically, he’s been in the courtroom, studying how bankruptcies work from every angle, and then he turned that knowledge into a weapon to fight for the little guy.

His process isn’t just about law, though. He’s also consulted for the IMF and World Bank on bankruptcy systems worldwide, so he’s got a global perspective on how debt and finance mess with people’s lives. And he’s got a JD from Penn Law, plus a BA in English, which honestly just shows he’s got the brains and the storytelling chops to make things happen.

What really makes Jonathan stand out is his motivation. He’s not just some lawyer making a paycheck. No cap, he’s driven by a real passion to make financial justice accessible. That’s why he co-founded Upsolve, which got into Y Combinator’s Winter ’19 batch, a huge boost for a nonprofit, proving that tech and startup hustle can be about more than just making money. It’s about solving real problems. And he’s been recognized as one of the top innovators shaping America’s finances in 2023 by Money magazine. That’s a big deal, it means he’s not just talking, he’s actually changing the game.

Outside of work, he’s into long-distance running and hanging with his family. That shows he’s grounded, keeps him balanced and focused on the bigger picture.

All in all, Jonathan’s story is about turning deep expertise into real-world impact. He’s someone who saw a bullshit system and decided to rebuild it from the ground up. That’s the kind of founder I wanna see in the world, driven, smart, and totally committed to making a difference.