# Tess Michaels

> Tess Michaels is the founder and CEO of Clasp (formerly Stride Funding), a Boston fintech that ties student loan repayment to employment - 'ROTC, but for healthcare.' Employers commit to clinical students before graduation and pay down their loans in exchange for years of tenure. A Wharton grad and Harvard MBA who cut her teeth at Goldman Sachs and Vista Equity, Michaels built her first company at 19. Clasp raised a $20M Series B in March 2026 and employers have committed more than $130M in loan repayment, with retention reportedly 2.5x higher than traditional hiring.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Clasp
- **Organizations:** Clasp, Stride Funding, SOCEANA, Goldman Sachs, Vista Equity Partners
- **From:** Philadelphia, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS in impact investing & operations management (Wharton) and BA in biology, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton + College of Arts & Sciences), MBA (2+2 program), Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30 (2020), Grand Prize, MIT FinTech Competition (2019), UN Foundation 'Woman to Watch' (2015)

## Career timeline

- **~2011** — Founded SOCEANA, a software analytics platform for corporate philanthropy and volunteerism, at age 19 while at Penn
- **2015** — Graduated from University of Pennsylvania; named a UN Foundation 'Woman to Watch'
- **2015-2017** — Worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs
- **2017-2018** — Worked in private equity (SaaS investing) at Vista Equity Partners
- **2018** — SOCEANA acquired by Encast; began MBA at Harvard Business School
- **2019** — Won the Grand Prize at the MIT FinTech Competition; founded Stride Funding
- **2020** — Graduated from HBS; named to Forbes 30 Under 30
- **2022** — Startup Boston Community Awards: Startup of the Year and Founder of the Year
- **2023** — Clasp/Stride named to Forbes Fintech 50 (one of 19 newcomers)
- **2025** — Featured by Business Insider among top healthcare startups; launched loan repayment program with Confluent Health
- **2026** — Clasp raised $20M Series B led by Crosslink Capital and Digitalis Ventures

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30 (2020)
- Grand Prize, MIT FinTech Competition (2019)
- UN Foundation 'Woman to Watch' (2015)
- Startup Boston: Startup of the Year and Founder of the Year (2022)
- Forbes Fintech 50 (2023)
- Wharton Dean's Award for Innovation
- Penn Alumni Award of Merit
- Raised $170M+ in combined equity and debt for Stride/Clasp; employers committed $130M+ in loan repayment

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Clasp raised a $20M Series B led by Crosslink Capital and Digitalis Ventures, with participation from Juvo, Strada Education, Frank Britt and Jason Nazar; the company roughly doubled its team.
- **2025-05** — Clasp partnered with Confluent Health on a first-of-its-kind student loan repayment program for physical, occupational and speech therapy professionals.

## Links

- Website: https://clasp.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmichaels
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/clasp_official
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYf5Y2IvCo8
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claspmates

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tess-michaels
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04