Rey Faustino

This legend right here is Rey Faustino, this guy’s the real deal in the social impact world. So, Rey’s from San Francisco, and his story is all about trying to fix shit that’s broken in the system, especially when it comes to education and ending poverty. He’s not just talking about it; he’s actually doing it.

Started his process as a teacher, not some office guy, but really in the trenches, helping kids who need it most. Then he took it a step further and was the site director at BUILD, a nonprofit that’s all about getting low-income kids of color into college. That’s where he really saw the gaps, the bullshit barriers that keep people stuck. And he was like, “Nah, this isn’t okay.”

He jumped into the startup scene big time, joining Y Combinator in W14, which is basically the gold standard for startups. That’s where he learned how to scale ideas fast. But instead of building some app for fun, he focused on social good. He founded One Degree, which is kinda like the Yelp of social services. Think about it, a platform that helps families find resources, benefits, and social programs easily. The goal? Break the cycle of poverty by making access to help simple and straightforward.

And man, under his leadership, One Degree blew up. It started in SF, then expanded across the country. They eventually merged with Alluma to make the whole process even smoother. Now, over a million people are getting help thanks to that work. That’s not small potatoes, that’s changing lives on a huge scale.

Rey’s not just a founder, though. He’s got a serious background in policy, with a Master’s from Harvard Kennedy School, and he’s been recognized with awards like Harvard’s New Global Leader Award. He’s been involved with Echoing Green and Education Pioneers, which are all about backing social innovators who want to shake things up.

What’s crazy is his motivation. You can tell he’s driven by a genuine desire to make education fair and to lift people out of poverty. He’s not in it for fame or money, he’s in it to create real change. His whole career screams one thing: he believes in the power of tech and community to solve big societal problems.

So, long story short, Rey Faustino is this badass social entrepreneur who took his experiences in teaching and policy and turned them into tools that actually work. His work shows what happens when you combine tech, heart, and a no-bullshit attitude. He’s out here trying to make the world more equal, one resource at a time. No cap, he’s the kind of guy who’s actually changing lives, and that’s what makes him super important.