About Us
About Us
Renest was founded to address the challenges graduate students across the nation faced: high costs of living and the stress of managing money with a graduate student stipend.
Our Story
As a graduate student, co-founder Thomas Lloyd experienced firsthand the financial pressures faced by him and his peers. Looking for solutions, he reached out to his long-time friend, Mo Zheng, who was working at prominent financial institutions and had an extensive history promoting financial literacy and economic empowerment through non-profit work. Together, Thomas and Mo worked to find the optimal way to structure a graduate student's finances, thereby relieving some of the financial pressures faced during a PhD program. Thomas began to share his findings with his PhD friends and soon was helping fellow students navigate their financial challenges one-on-one, sharing insights and strategies from credit scores to retirement planning.
What started as informal peer support quickly grew through word of mouth. Students began asking Thomas and Mo if they could help their friends at other universities, and as they did, they saw the same challenges everywhere: graduate students need better financial solutions tailored to their unique situations.
This realization led the duo to develop Renest, automating and scaling a tested approach to help graduate students gain financial security, confidence and save more money today by unlocking financial benefits. In collaboration with trusted banking partners, Renest is continuously expanding its services based on the graduate student community's needs.
Our team is excited to have you join on this journey – your input helps shape the future of financial solutions for graduate students across the nation.
Founder Perspectives
Thomas Lloyd
Co-Founder
During my PhD program, I experienced firsthand the financial pressures working students faced: high cost of living and managing money on a student stipend – all while juggling a busy schedule. Given my limited income and savings, I did not have many options available to me when it came to financial solutions. To find solutions, I reached out to my long-time friend, Mo Zheng, who had experience working across finance.
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Mo Zheng
Co-Founder
Financial management was my life – both at and outside of work. Through my work across banks and investment firms on Wall Street, I saw firsthand the breadth of solutions and strategies unavailable to everyday Americans. Looking to make a difference, I volunteered across education non-profits to apply my knowledge and make personal finance more accessible. When my long-time friend, Thomas Lloyd, reached out to me, I knew that this was the right time to take my skills and apply them to help not only Thomas, but millions of other graduate students across the country.
Check Out My Career HereOur Mission
Our team understands the commitment and experience of graduate students. Renest aims to empower and support graduate students during their academic journey and beyond.