Step’s Founder & CEO CJ MacDonald honored by Goldman Sachs

October 18, 2023

Step’s Founder & CEO CJ MacDonald honored by Goldman Sachs for Entrepreneurship at the 2023 Builders and Innovators Summit

Palo Alto, CA October 18, 2023 - Today, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) is recognizing Step’s Founder & CEO, CJ MacDonald as one of the Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs of 2023 at its Builders and Innovators Summit in Healdsburg, California.

Goldman Sachs selected CJ MacDonald from multiple industries to be honored at the two-day event. CJ is a serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in launching early-stage startups across multiple industries. CJ has demonstrated an exceptional ability throughout his career to bring innovative products to market, attract large clients, and deliver rapid consumer expansion. As the Founder & CEO of the premier banking platform Step, CJ has focused on improving the financial future of the next generation, a segment that has long been overlooked in the financial space, by building a robust financial platform allowing teens and young adults to build credit, invest, save, earn money and more.

"To be honored with this recognition by Goldman Sachs, a company that influences global innovation and entrepreneurship, is incredibly humbling. At Step, we strive to find new ways to innovate, collaborate, and redefine what is possible while we work to provide a better and more accessible future for our customers. As a leader, I push myself and our team to serve as an example to our customers who are already becoming the entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow."

Prior to Step, CJ was the Co-Founder of Gyft (acquired by First Data), led Sales and Business Development initiatives at Luminate (acquired by Yahoo), and was an early team member at Liveops. CJ is a graduate of Wesleyan University and lives in the Bay Area.

"We’re delighted to recognize CJ MacDonald as one of the most exceptional entrepreneurs of 2023,” said David Solomon, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs. “Like everyone in this year’s class, CJ has been a visionary in their field, pushing forward innovation and redefining markets. We are excited to harness Goldman’s convening power to bring together these dynamic leaders and hear their insights."
— David Solomon, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs

In addition to honoring the most exceptional entrepreneurs, the Summit consists of general sessions and clinics led by seasoned entrepreneurs, academics, and business leaders, as well as resident scholars.
About Step

Step was founded by financial industry veterans CJ MacDonald and Alexey Kalinichenko to provide teens, their families and young adults with financial tools for today’s modern-day banking needs and to promote financial literacy for the future. The founding team has 50+ years of combined financial technology experience from companies like Affirm, Block, Google, Gyft, Stripe, and Meta. The Series C company has more than 4 million customer accounts and has raised more than $500 million in funding, backed by Coatue, Crosslink Capital, General Catalyst, Stripe and several other prominent investors. Evolve Bank & Trust, Member FDIC provides Step’s banking services and issues the Step Visa Card pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Securities (stock and ETF) services powered by and securities assets custodied by Drivewealth, LLC. To learn more, please visit: https://step.com or contact press@step.com.

About Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs is a leading global financial institution that delivers a broad range of financial services to a large and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world.