The startup rewriting adulthood

Genevieve Bellaire, the founder and CEO of Realworld, has a knack for spotting gaps that others overlook. At thirty-five, she’s built a mobile app and platform that guides young adults through the bureaucratic and financial maze of “adulting” — a term she uses with a knowing smirk, acknowledging its cultural weight. “It’s not about coddling,” she said in a recent interview with CEO.com. “It’s about giving people the tools to not get screwed over by life’s fine print.”

Bellaire’s path to Realworld began with a costly lesson. A Princeton graduate with a joint J.D./M.B.A. from Georgetown, she seemed destined for a smooth climb through the corporate world. After a stint at Goldman Sachs, where she worked on strategic partnerships, she had the credentials to match her ambition. Yet, despite her education, she was blindsided by a $12,000 healthcare mistake tied to a misunderstanding of COBRA. “I was a lawyer, I had an M.B.A., and I still didn’t know how to pick a health insurance plan,” she told CEO.com. The error wasn’t just humbling; it was galvanizing. If someone with her resources could falter, what hope was there for others?

That question gave rise to Realworld, which was launched in 2018 after Bellaire left Goldman Sachs. The platform offers “playbooks” — clear, step-by-step guides to mastering life’s practical challenges, from filing taxes to renting an apartment to decoding a 401(k). Unlike the myriad budgeting apps or financial literacy courses, Realworld takes a holistic approach, tackling the tangled web of finances, healthcare, career, and household management. Free to use and featuring nearly a hundred playbooks, the app has attracted over 100,000 users and partnered with more than forty universities, resonating with a generation wary of institutional fixes.

Bellaire’s early career was a combination of calculated leaps and persistent doubts. At Princeton, where she studied politics and international relations, she envisioned a future in government or policy. Georgetown’s dual-degree program honed her skills, but her time at Goldman Sachs felt like a detour. “I was learning a lot, but I wasn’t solving the problems I cared about,” she said. The healthcare fiasco, coupled with stories from friends struggling with similar issues, clarified her mission. “I kept hearing the same thing: ‘I have a degree, I’m smart, why is this so hard?’”

In 2017, Bellaire began sketching Realworld, fueled by late-night interviews with nearly a thousand recent graduates, university administrators, and parents. “I was obsessed,” she said, laughing. “I’d ask people about every dumb mistake they’d made.” The research revealed a glaring gap: no single resource existed to guide young adults through the practicalities of independence. Google was unreliable, parents were often outdated, and schools rarely taught students how to navigate a lease or budget for groceries. Bellaire saw an opportunity to create a new category— “real-world readiness.”

Building Realworld demanded resilience. Bellaire initially focused on a B2B model, partnering with universities to distribute content to seniors and alumni. Feedback prompted a pivot to a direct-to-consumer app, a risky move that required retooling the platform. “It was terrifying,” she admitted. “You’re betting everything, and there’s no blueprint.” The gamble paid off: in 2021, Realworld raised $3.4 million, signaling investor confidence. Yet, with no direct competitors, Bellaire was navigating uncharted waters. “It’s great to be alone in your space,” she said, “but it means no one’s proven it can work.”

Bellaire’s candor about entrepreneurship sets her apart. She spoke openly to CEO.com about the grind: investor rejections, the pressure to hire well, the need to constantly adapt. “You have to be okay with hearing ‘no’ a lot,” she said. “And you need people smarter than you, who’ll call you out.” Her first hire was an “athlete” — a versatile generalist who could thrive in a startup’s chaos. “I didn’t need a specialist,” she said. “I needed someone who could figure things out with me.”

User experience drives Realworld’s evolution. The playbooks, crafted by experts in fields such as tax law and personal finance, are written in a conversational tone that resembles advice from a savvy friend. The platform also fosters a sense of community by enabling users to share stories and tips. “People don’t just want information,” Bellaire said. “They want to know they’re not alone in screwing up.” This focus on connection has helped Realworld cut through the noise of a crowded digital landscape.

Beyond the app, Bellaire is committed to addressing broader issues, including women’s empowerment, educational equity, and expanded access to opportunities. She serves on the Pencils of Promise Leadership Council and the Acumen Fund Young Professional Committee, advocating for systemic change in how we prepare young people for life. “We teach kids to analyze literature or solve equations,” she said. “But we don’t teach them how to avoid a $1,000 medical bill. That’s a failure of imagination.”

As Realworld grows, Bellaire aims to scale while staying true to her mission. She envisions the platform as a lifelong resource that guides users through milestones, such as buying a home or starting a family. “I want Realworld to be the place you turn to when you don’t know where else to go,” she said. For now, she’s focused on iterating and listening. “There’s no finish line,” she told CEO.com. “You just keep going, because the problem’s not going away.”

Bellaire admits she’s still learning to navigate adulthood herself. “I don’t feel like a fully functioning adult,” she said, grinning. “But I’m getting better at faking it.” For the thousands relying on Realworld, that honesty might be the most valuable playbook of all.