North Star was created by a team passionate about empowering young people with the knowledge, confidence, and skills they need to build better futures.
Walk into almost any school in the Netherlands and you'll meet teenagers who can solve equations, debate philosophy and code an app — but who have never been taught how a tax form works, what a loan really costs, or how to build savings on a part-time wage.
Financial education is not mandatory in Dutch schools. The students who feel that gap the most are the ones with the least support at home: newcomer youth, vocational students, and teens from families where money has always been a source of stress rather than a tool.
Traditional financial literacy programs often miss them entirely. They're written in formal Dutch, taught from textbooks, and disconnected from the choices a teenager actually faces this weekend — splitting a bill, sending money home, buying a phone on instalments, or saying yes to a "too good to be true" offer.
North Star started with a simple question: what if learning about money felt like playing a great story — one where your choices matter, and the lessons stay with you? That question turned into a team, a method, and a mission.
Ladan and Masoud came to North Star from different paths — but with the same belief: every teenager deserves a fair shot at a financially confident future.
Co-founder
Educator and program designer focused on inclusive learning experiences for newcomer youth in the Netherlands.
Expertise
Why I'm here
"Grew up watching young people struggle without basic money skills — wants every teen to start adulthood prepared."
Co-founder
Builder and strategist with a background in technology and social entrepreneurship across Europe.
Expertise
Why I'm here
"Believes practical financial knowledge is one of the most powerful tools we can give young people."
Founder photographs and full bios coming soon.
We share a simple belief: access to practical financial education should not depend on a young person's background, income level, or country of origin. Confidence with money is a form of freedom — and it should belong to every teenager.
Equal opportunities
A fair starting line for every teen.
Youth empowerment
Skills that turn into real choices.
Social inclusion
Designed for newcomers from day one.
Future confidence
Today's habits, tomorrow's freedom.
We're building toward a Netherlands — and eventually a Europe — where financial education is engaging, accessible, and woven into how young people grow up. Where schools have the tools they need, communities feel supported, and teenagers make informed decisions about their money, their time, and their futures.
That's the long-term impact we're here to create.
We give teens the skills and confidence to take charge of their financial future.
Free, language-friendly and built for every classroom — not just the privileged ones.
Designed with newcomer and underserved youth at the center, never as an afterthought.
We blend storytelling, gamification and behavioral science to make learning stick.
Every lesson connects to a real decision a teenager will face this year — not in twenty.
We measure success by lives changed, not features shipped.
Whether you represent a school, a municipality, a foundation, or a company that cares — we'd love to hear from you.