Proof of Usefulness Report

Public.com

Analysis completed on 1/28/2026

+660
Proof of Usefulness Score
Category Standard

Public.com is a high-value fintech unicorn with significant market traction ($1.2B+ valuation, 1M+ members). While the project itself demonstrates exceptional real-world utility and timing, the specific submission provided was low-effort (e.g., vague 'everyone' audience claims and hyperbolic 'most people' traction fields). The score reflects the strong underlying business fundamentals and verified unicorn status, penalized slightly for the poor quality of the submission form data.

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Score Breakdown

Real World Utility+20.0
Audience Reach Impact+12.0
Technical Innovation+10.5
Evidence Of Traction+22.5
Market Timing Relevance+9.0
Functional Completeness+1.0
Subtotal+75
Usefulness Multiplierx0.88
Final Score+660

Project Details

Project URL
Description
Public.com is an investing app that makes the stock market social. By building a transparent community of investors and offering fractional shares of thousands of publicly-traded companies, we’re on a mission to make the public markets work for everyone.\n\nWith interest in the stock market surging among a new generation of investors, our community is growing rapidly, and we recently reached our 1MM member milestone just 18 months after launching. To support our ambitious goals, our team is growing and we’re looking for sharp, enthusiastic people who believe in our mission to fundamentally change the way people invest. \n\nWe announced our Series D funding round of $220 million in Feb. 2021, just two months after our Series C round. Our investors include Accel, Greycroft (the original investors in Venmo) and Lakestar as well as Will Smith (Dreamers VC), Tony Hawk, The Chainsmokers’ Mantis VC; NFL star J.J. Watt, NYU Stern professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway, business executive Dick Parsons, Business Class founder Sophia Amoruso, and Shari Redstone’s Advancit Capital.

Algorithm Insights

Market Position
Strong market validation with clear user adoption patterns
User Engagement
Documented reach suggests active user community
Technical Stack
Modern tech stack aligned with sponsor technologies

Recommendations to Increase Usefulness Score

Document User Growth

Provide specific metrics on user acquisition and retention rates

Showcase Revenue Model

Detail sustainable monetization strategy and current revenue streams

Expand Evidence Base

Include testimonials, case studies, and third-party validation

Technical Roadmap

Share development milestones and feature completion timeline