UK alum featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Impact list

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 13, 2026) — Camron Brown didn’t just set out to build a fintech company. He set out to solve a problem he couldn’t escape.

After facing months-long delays during his own disability claim, the 2020 journalism alumnus found himself confronting a reality shared by millions of Americans: medical or caregiving leave can trigger immediate financial collapse long before benefits arrive.

That experience led Brown to co-found Counter Fin with Kaelaan Maynor, a mechanical and software engineer with a background in the semiconductor industry, through Silicon Valley-based startup accelerator Y Combinators Co-Founder Matching Program.

This partnership eventually landed them on the 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Impact list.

“Forbes recognition is often framed as an individual milestone, but for me, it reflects years of preparation rooted at the University of Kentucky,” Brown said.

Brown’s traces his path to national recognition back to his time as an undergraduate, where early exposure to entrepreneurship reshaped how he understood opportunity and risk.

”My communication and information studies at the University of Kentucky fundamentally shaped how I approach storytelling, branding and presenting Counter Fin’s mission,” Brown said. “I learned early on that ideas don’t win on merit alone — they win when people understand them, trust them and see themselves in them. That mindset has guided how I frame our story, from the language we use to the way we position our brand around clarity, empathy and credibility.”

Counter Fin is a fintech platform that helps workers navigate disability and family leave claims, offering filing assistance, predictive scoring, emergency funds and discounts to prevent financial crises during benefit delays.

Hands-on learning through the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship in the Gatton College of Business and Economics gave Brown an early understanding of how ideas turn into viable businesses.

“Through the Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship, I learned how to pitch ideas, understand venture capital and fundraising and grasp the fundamentals of startup economics,” Brown said. “That experience gave me a show-me, not tell-me, understanding of how businesses are built from the ground up.”

Beyond business mechanics, Brown said his communication coursework shaped how he thinks about people, products and trust.

“I learned how to clearly articulate ideas, translate complex concepts into compelling narratives and truly understand consumer behavior through research and analysis,” Brown said. “Together, those experiences built the foundation I rely on today to create, communicate and scale ideas with intention and impact.”

Brown said his education gave him the tools to make complicated systems accessible.

“That skill became critical when building Counter Fin, where clarity and credibility aren’t optional — they’re everything,” Brown said. “Beyond communication, the focus on research and audience insight taught me how to build with users, not just for them.”

One early moment solidified Brown’s confidence as a founder: representing UK at the SEC Pitch Competition. This is an event showcasing entrepreneurial ventures from students across the Southeastern Conference. The experience marked his first time presenting a business idea in a competitive setting.

“It fundamentally changed my mindset as an entrepreneur,” Brown said. “Winning $1,000 from the judges wasn’t just validating — it showed me that my ideas had merit beyond the classroom.”

Mentorship at the Von Allmen Center also played a significant role in that growth.

“I’m especially grateful to Warren Nash (former executive director) and Mariam Gorijan (assistant director),” Brown said. “They didn’t just teach theory; they taught me how entrepreneurship actually works — how to refine ideas, tell a compelling story and approach building a business with discipline and confidence.”

While still a student, Brown began testing those lessons in real markets. Balancing coursework with service jobs, he launched a 3D-printed product company selling custom tailgate tools to fellow students.

“The products cost us about five cents to make, and we ended up generating roughly $50-60K in revenue,” Brown said. “That experience completely reframed how I saw entrepreneurship.”

That early exposure to demand, pricing and distribution later informed Brown’s approach to Counter Fin.

“The College of Communication and Information gave me the tools to turn lived experience into a real company,” Brown said. “It trained me to take complex, broken systems — like disability and leave benefits — and explain them in a way real people can actually understand and trust.”

Today, as a CEO, Brown said the skills he developed at UK remain central to how he leads.

“Effective communication stands out above all else,” Brown said. “UK trained me to clearly articulate ideas, align people around a shared vision and translate complex systems into language that builds trust.”

For students considering entrepreneurship, Brown emphasized persistence over perfection.

“You don’t need the perfect idea, the perfect timing or the perfect plan to start — you just need the willingness to begin and keep going,” Brown said. “The hardest part isn’t starting — it’s continuing.”

Looking back, Brown views his Forbes recognition not as a singular achievement, but as the product of long-term preparation.

“UK didn’t just give me knowledge; it reshaped how I interpret opportunity, risk and responsibility,” Brown said. “The foundation I built at UK continues to shape how I communicate, build and execute every single day.”