# Noah Kerner

> Noah Kerner is the New York-born CEO and chairman of Acorns, the saving and investing company built around small, automatic contributions and long-term compounding. His route to finance ran through teenage hip-hop DJ sets, a Cornell education in psychology and economics, youth-culture agency Noise, the book Chasing Cool, and shareholder-engagement startup Say. Across those chapters, the recurring idea is behavioral: understand what moves people, make the first step easier, and design the business around the customer's long-term interest.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer and Chairman at Acorns
- **Organizations:** Acorns, Noise, Say Technologies, Soundproof, Give Kids Art, VH1 Save The Music Foundation, WeWork
- **From:** New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Studied psychology and economics, Cornell University
- **Known for:** Led Acorns from its early post-launch period into a broader financial wellness platform spanning investing, retirement, banking, education and family products., Co-founded Noise, which was acquired by Engine USA in 2010., Co-authored Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today's Cluttered Marketplace with Gene Pressman.

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Began learning turntablism as a teenager in New York and later worked nightclub sets and as a stage DJ for Jennifer Lopez.
- **Early 2000s** — Managed online marketing for the VH1 Group after graduating from Cornell.
- **2005** — Co-founded Noise, a product development and marketing agency focused on young adults.
- **2007** — Co-founded music agency Soundproof and published Chasing Cool with Gene Pressman.
- **2010** — Noise was acquired by Engine USA; Kerner continued in leadership and later became nonexecutive chairman and adviser.
- **2013-2014** — Served as WeWork's first chief strategy and marketing officer.
- **2014** — Joined Acorns shortly after launch as adviser, investor and director, then became CEO.
- **2017** — Co-founded shareholder-engagement platform Say Technologies.
- **2021** — Say Technologies was acquired by Robinhood in an approximately $140 million all-cash deal.
- **2022** — After canceling a planned SPAC merger, Acorns raised a $300 million Series F at a valuation near $2 billion.
- **2026** — As CEO and chairman, sharpened Acorns' public stance against trading, prediction and gambling-style financial products.

## Achievements

- Led Acorns from its early post-launch period into a broader financial wellness platform spanning investing, retirement, banking, education and family products.
- Co-founded Noise, which was acquired by Engine USA in 2010.
- Co-authored Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today's Cluttered Marketplace with Gene Pressman.
- Co-founded Say Technologies, acquired by Robinhood in 2021 for approximately $140 million in cash.
- Recognized on Billboard's Top 30 Under 30, Adweek's young-influentials list, and as a Fast Company Innovation Agent.
- Lectured on entrepreneurship, media and technology at Stanford, UCLA, Columbia University and NYU.
- Served on the board of VH1's Save The Music Foundation and later joined the board of Give Kids Art.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Acorns launched Investinall, a parody campaign that contrasted recurring long-term investing with sports betting, trading and prediction markets.
- **2026-09** — Kerner published an essay arguing that the American dream remains attainable and described his own late start with investing.
- **2026-08** — In a Creative Conviction interview, he connected his DJ training, taste-led product philosophy and work with Give Kids Art.
- **2026-06** — Acorns Early announced its founding Kid Advisory Board to bring young customers into product and storytelling decisions.
- **2026-05** — Published the Acorns Pledge, stating the company's opposition to gambling-style product mechanics and its commitment to long-term investing.
- **2026-04** — Explained Acorns' purpose-first model, subscription economics and refusal to monetize trading in an Observer interview.
- **2026-03** — Acorns debuted a public Compounding Vending Machine installation in Chicago to make long-term growth tangible.

## Links

- Website: https://www.acorns.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahkerner

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/noah-kerner
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27