Cathy Huang

Post-pitch story

Cathy Huang found money that most companies didn't know existed. Folio helps employers tap into federal Work-Study funds, roughly $1.2 billion a year, to pay part of the cost of hiring student interns. Students get paid work, and companies get help covering the bill. Season 13, Episode 2 aired in March 2025 with the title "The $1.2B Opportunity Nobody Saw." Huang came in with a business already running. She told the panel Folio had served more than 1,000 students and 500 companies, was bringing in about $1.2 million a year and had closed a $4 million round in August 2024 at a $16 million valuation. She has said Folio is her third company. Folio made enough of an impression that Huang came back for the Season 13 finale, "Founders Flip the Script," to share an update with listeners. Most of Folio's numbers come from Huang herself, and we couldn't find a newer public funding announcement. But the idea is simple and the market is real: billions in Work-Study money that often goes unused. Folio is trying to make sure more of it reaches students.