The Founders Arena, born from a partnership between the City of Arlington, Arlington Economic Development Corporation and First Rate, Inc., is an innovative WealthTech Accelerator designed to meet the needs of startup tech entrepreneurs. 

The 10-week intensive gives participants access to networking, funding, training and mentorship. Participating startups have created innovative products that banks and wealth management companies across the world can use to better serve their clients. The Founders Arena, headquartered at the new First Rate, Inc. campus in North Arlington, aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship while actively engaging the local community through workshops, seminars, hackathons and networking events. 

The inaugural WealthTech Combine took place on Oct. 10-11, 2023. Members of the first Founders Arena cohort spent two days networking with industry experts, honing their business pitches and attending sessions on topics from artificial intelligence to the current state of wealth management and everything in-between. Learn more about each member of the inaugural cohort through the Arlington Economic Development Corporation’s “Founders Arena Spotlight” series.  

Name of Founder and Company
Charles Almond, Founder and CEO of TaxStatus
Frisco, Texas

What makes your product unique?
We’re the only company to provide transparent access to the IRS for every individual in America. It’s unique, but it’s also daunting and scary. What people don’t know, and the coolest thing about our business is that the IRS is all policy and procedure. If you know the procedures, you can make it work for you. By combining knowledge of policy with taxpayer rights, we can give every taxpayer in America their IRS account standing, reveal what’s beyond the black box and empower them to use that information for their own benefits. 

What’s the best part about the Accelerator?
Being introduced to smart, driven people. Whether that’s Broderick (Green, the Executive Director of the Arlington Economic Development Corporation) or a single resident wealth advisor. Everyone that shows in and around this program has a lot to offer—experience, ideas, exposure to new opportunities and smart people who can help you execute them. 

How has working with the Founders Arena helped you achieve your goals?
My goal was to learn more about the wealth industry, make contacts and find new opportunities – so far, it’s been wonderful. Even if it ended tomorrow, I’d be super grateful. Ultimately we will land customers, so there’s a financial impact, and I’ll probably earn money from the contacts I’ve met here. UBS and SEI are huge organizations, sot o have them here and represented is so important.

What’s next?
Execution. As any great founder will tell you, execute the plans and objectives. I want to help as many wealth advisors as I can and the best way to do that is spread the word.

Anything else you’d like to add?
The City has been incredibly supportive. They’ve been at every single event, they’ve shaken my hand five times over, they’re so welcoming and really excited. They’ve been willing to introduce me to people and put me in touch with the resources at our disposal.