J-P Conte Wants a Movement for First-Generation College Students

“I’d build a movement around closing the information gap for first-generation college students across the country,” J-P Conte told Authority Magazine in a July 30, 2026, interview.

Authority Magazine asks most of the people it profiles what movement they would start.

At Colgate

Conte, founder and managing partner of his family office, Lupine Crest Capital, was the first in his family to attend college. He earned his degree at Colgate University in 1985 and has served on its board of trustees since 2020.

Few classmates were in his position, he told the magazine. He had no family roadmap for choosing classes, building a network or understanding career options. Many first-generation students struggle because they lack information and support, he said.

Beyond Admission

Getting students onto campus is only part of the goal, J-P Conte said. The larger aim is making sure they have the support to do well once they arrive.

A December 2025 Forbes Business Council column described the kind of programs he aims to support, such as one that “supports students with after-school classes, Saturday sessions and summer programming, going on to support them throughout their college years.”

Programs Jean-Pierre Conte has supported for years work on that principle. SEO Scholars works with students from ninth grade through college. 10,000 Degrees supports students from late high school through college.

Mentors

Some of his own first mentors were Wall Street customers of his father’s Manhattan clothing shop, who gave him early advice on banking and investing. Mentorship is one way he has suggested the gap could be closed. He has written that gaps in information, more than gaps in talent, often hold first-generation students back.

Business leaders were asked to give their time in a December 2025 Forbes Business Council column. “I’ve found that when business leaders visit programs and make themselves accessible, they can provide students with something of critical value: direct exposure to professional pathways,” he wrote.

Jean-Pierre Conte also proposed, in a September 2026 IdeaMensch interview, a technology platform to match first-generation students with mentors in their intended field.

His Advice

The Authority Magazine interview closed with advice. Conte said his most important career turns came from deciding for himself.

“First, don’t wait for permission,” JP Conte said. Even a failed attempt usually teaches something, he added.

He was hired by a small San Francisco private equity firm after Harvard Business School and has spent decades in the industry since. Lupine Crest Capital, his family office, was launched in March 2025.