Dub, a fintech startup founded by 23-year-old Harvard dropout Steven Wang, is shaking up the investing world with an innovative influencer-driven marketplace. The platform allows users to follow the trades of top investors, hedge funds, and even politicians, and copy their entire portfolios with just a few taps. Dub's concept has struck a chord, with over 800,000 downloads and $17 million in seed funding already secured.

The idea behind Dub was inspired by the Gamestop saga and the growing trend of social media influencing financial decisions, particularly among Gen Z. Wang, who began investing at the age of 8 with his parents' blessing, saw an opportunity to merge retail investing and influencer-driven decision-making. He dropped out of Harvard in 2021 to start building Dub, which has now found its way in front of a younger audience.

Dub's average user is between 30 and 35 years old, but the platform is gaining traction among an even younger crowd. The company's ads on Instagram have caught the attention of teenagers, with some even asking about "investing like Nancy Pelosi" after seeing the ads. While Pelosi isn't personally trading on Dub, a trader on the platform is mirroring her disclosed moves, and has reportedly made millions of dollars for customers since the portfolio was launched.

Dub isn't free, with a $10-per-month subscription model in place. The company also generates revenue by taking a 25% cut of management fees from top-performing portfolios. Dub has scaled rapidly through organic growth, with creators who are good traders on the app incentivized to bring their audience. The company is also investing heavily in advertising, particularly on Meta platforms like Instagram, to acquire users.

However, Dub's rapid growth raises questions about regulatory scrutiny. The company has spent over two years working with FINRA and the SEC to ensure its model complies with financial regulations. Wang argues that Dub is designed to educate users, not encourage blind speculation, and displays risk scores, risk-adjusted returns, and portfolio stability metrics to help investors make informed decisions.

Wang believes that Dub is safer for investors than other fintech startups, citing the example of Robinhood, which made trading free but faced regulatory scrutiny ahead of its 2021 IPO. He suggests that making trading easy without expert guidance is "gambling for the broader population." Wang also points to the decision of Robinhood and other exchanges to make the meme coin TRUMP available for customers, which initially surged in price but has since plummeted.

Critics argue that stock picking underperforms passive investing over the long run, with studies showing that most actively managed funds fail to beat the S&P 500. Wang pushes back against this criticism, arguing that many such studies are "cherry-picked" and sponsored by passive investing index companies. He cites the success of actively managed hedge funds like Citadel, which consistently deliver non-correlated returns year after year.

As Dub continues to grow and evolve, it remains to be seen whether the company can avoid the pitfalls of previous fintech startups. With its innovative approach to investing and commitment to educating users, Dub is poised to disrupt the financial industry and change the way people invest.