A student-first perspective is what led CEO Tess Michaels to start Stride Funding.

Stride Funding’s income share agreements (ISAs) and deferred tuition agreements (DTAs) allows graduates to pay a portion of their post-education income.

WorkingNation sat down with Michaels at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego.

Michaels says she learned firsthand about the ‘sticker shock’ cost of education when she was a graduate student.

She says alternative ways to finance an education are making the pathway more accessible and more equitable. “What’s amazing about the student financing industry is the whole point of education is to do better than your parents. Go off and pursue an amazing career. Yet 92% of private loans require co-signers and less than a fourth of students actually have access to a credit worthy co-signer.”

“Inherently, there are just massive parts of the student segment that are left out of credit markets. They can’t even afford to go to school.”

Learn more about Stride Funding.