Approximately 8.2 million first-generation undergraduate students comprise 54% of all undergraduates. Yet only 26% of these students complete their degrees, compared to 82% of students with college-educated parents. This completion gap represents more than individual setbacks—it demonstrates massive economic inefficiency.
JP Conte’s evaluation methodology for addressing this challenge combines business rigor with genuine commitment to impact. He directly assessed multiple universities to determine which institutions possessed the resources, talent, and conviction to effectively support first-generation students. “I interviewed each school, visited each school, and learned that some of the schools were really good at it, good at providing resources, attracting that talent, and even mentoring that talent while they were at school,” he explains in an article detailing his mentorship approach. Others lacked the infrastructure or commitment necessary.
This due diligence approach mirrors the same analytical framework that guided his career building businesses across healthcare, financial services, software, and industrial technology. As managing partner of his family office Lupine Crest Capital, Conte applies investment principles to philanthropy—identifying opportunities where resources can generate outsized returns.
Why University-Level Intervention Arrives Too Late
Conte’s initial focus on university scholarships revealed a fundamental problem. First-generation students who receive lower grades in their first term are more likely to leave college entirely rather than utilize academic recovery options like switching majors or withdrawing from courses. Research from Arizona State University analyzing 145,000 first-year students found that parental education remains a significant predictor of academic success even when controlling for demographics, household income, and early college performance.
“A light went off, and I came to the conclusion that I need to start sooner, in high school or earlier, to really help change the trajectory,” JP Conte shares. This realization prompted partnerships with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO Scholars) and 10,000 Degrees—organizations that begin working with students during middle school or early high school.
Measurable Outcomes From Earlier Investment
SEO Scholars operates as a free, eight-year academic program providing over 600 hours of additional instruction in English and mathematics, year-round academics, mentorship, and individualized advising. Students commit to after-school sessions, Saturday classes, and summer programming beginning in ninth grade. The program achieves an 85% college graduation rate—significantly above the national average.
Similarly, 10,000 Degrees serves the San Francisco Bay Area where Conte is based, achieving an 80% four-year college graduation rate—more than double the national average for low-income students. The organization’s fellowship model employs recent college graduates as near-peer mentors embedded in high schools and community colleges. Students receive personalized college advising, scholarships, financial aid counseling, and career development—graduating with 88% less student loan debt than the national average.
Conte’s business acumen directly improved nonprofit effectiveness. When leadership challenges emerged at SEO, his recommendation to bring in new management resulted in the organization multiplying its reach in the Bay Area by five to seven times. “A lot of nonprofits aren’t run crisply,” he observes, noting the importance of applying operational rigor to charitable work.
The economic rationale reinforces the moral imperative. Closing the first-generation college completion gap would result in 4.4 million more graduates and generate a net benefit of $700 billion to the U.S. economy, according to research on his first-generation student strategy. College graduates are 88% more likely to be employed and earn higher wages. JP Conte’s approach demonstrates that effective philanthropy requires the same analytical framework and operational discipline that drives business success.
