Poppi cofounder Allison Ellsworth said she opened $5,000 investment accounts for each of her three children after the PepsiCo exit.
A fresh windfall doesn’t have to end in a shopping spree. For Poppi cofounder and CEO Allison Ellsworth, it’s becoming a classroom for her kids’ first lessons in investing.
In an interview released recently. Ellsworth said she opened investment accounts for her three children—ages four. seven. and nine—each funded with $5. 000.. The idea. she explained. is to start with enough money that her children can clearly see change over time. rather than treating investing as something abstract.
Ellsworth tied the move to what happened after the family’s latest financial milestone.. She and her husband, Stephen Ellsworth, sold their prebiotic soda brand, Poppi, to PepsiCo last year for $1.95 billion.. After that sale. she said her children have shown strong curiosity about investing and asked questions that made the topic feel both personal and immediate.
The accounts, Ellsworth said, are held at Fidelity. But she also described the early reality of markets: the children have already experienced losses. She said the stock market performance has not been favorable, and that they have lost $65 so far, which surprised them and sparked more interest.
When asked how the kids are choosing investments. Ellsworth said they are buying what she described as “safe” stocks and noted “slim pickings” in the options they selected—names including Apple and Microsoft.. Her comments underscore that she is trying to frame investing as practical decision-making. not a gamble. even at a young age.
Ellsworth emphasized that the initial funding was deliberate.. She said she put $5. 000 into each account because smaller amounts would likely not allow children to see much growth or movement.. In her view. a bigger starting number creates the conditions for kids to observe how markets behave and to learn from the results.
The interview also captured how she and her husband are discussing wealth at home.. Ellsworth said they are not shying away from money conversations. and they are doing so in ways she described as age-appropriate—aimed at teaching stewardship rather than shielding children from financial realities.. She said she wants her children to avoid becoming the student who just has money without understanding what it means.
She described the goal in generational terms, saying she wants the children to become stewards of their money and to learn the balance involved in managing wealth. She framed it as a process the family is learning together, rather than a one-time lesson delivered after the Poppi sale.
Ellsworth also pointed to one particularly memorable moment: her oldest child bought PepsiCo stock, viewing themselves as an “investor in Poppi.” The story reflects how the brand’s transition into a larger corporate ownership structure has become part of the household narrative.
The Poppi backdrop is still central to the story.. Ellsworth and her husband started the company in 2016 and. according to her. they received funding on Shark Tank while she was pregnant with her first child.. After exiting the brand last year following the PepsiCo acquisition, she said they now serve as advisors to the company.
Beyond the investing lesson, Ellsworth described how the family has chosen to spend some of the proceeds.. She said she is enjoying a monthlong Europe vacation. while also splurging on services like stylists. hiring a private chef. and buying a new house near Austin.. The contrast is notable: the same windfall that supports travel and upgrades is also being used to build an educational routine.
Her comments also place early investing for children in a wider business and personal-finance conversation. She said she is not the only business leader to encourage kids to begin investing early, citing examples from other founders who discussed similar approaches.
Daniel Ramsey. a millionaire founder of virtual assistant company MyOutDesk. told a previous interview that all three of his children have brokerage accounts with Roth IRAs to learn how to set money aside and watch it compound over time.. He also said parents should advise children on investing correctly. suggesting that the learning is not only about ownership but about guidance.
Similarly. Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos. cofounder of real estate company Flag Luxury Group. previously said she and her husband gave each of their three children a “low-risk” amount in middle school.. She added that the children picked companies to invest in and that parents encouraged them to explain why they chose certain stocks. using those explanations to demystify the process.
Taken together. Ellsworth’s remarks highlight a growing trend among some high-earning families and business founders: using real accounts and real market swings as teaching tools.. Even in early stages where losses can happen quickly. the objective appears to be the same—help children develop habits. questions. and understanding long before they are old enough to treat investing as a personal responsibility on their own.. For Misryoum, the story is another reminder that financial education is increasingly becoming a lived experience, not just advice.
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