JP Conte traces his commitment to mentoring young people directly to his own experience as a first-generation college student. His father, Pierre, fled France following the Nazi-occupation before building a career as a tailor and clothing salesman serving Wall Street professionals. His mother, Isabel, left Cuba seeking freedom and opportunity. Neither parent had attended college, yet both believed education could transform their son’s future.

Growing up in Brooklyn and New Jersey, Conte gained access to mentors through his father’s professional connections. Wall Street executives offered internships, professional guidance, and critical advice about navigating higher education—support that proved transformative for someone whose parents couldn’t provide insider knowledge about college applications or career paths.

Decades later, as managing partner of his family office Lupine Crest Capital and following a career building businesses across healthcare, financial services, software, and industrial technology, JP Conte has built philanthropic programs designed to replicate what he received. His approach addresses a documented gap: while 76% of professionals believe mentors are important to growth, only 37% actually have one.

The statistics demonstrate why this matters. Workers with mentors report being well-paid at rates of 79% compared to 69% for those without mentors. More striking, employees participating in mentorship programs experience salary increases 25% of the time, compared to just 5% for non-participants. Among millennials, who will comprise more than 75% of the workforce, 79% view mentoring as essential to career success.

JP Conte understood these benefits from his own trajectory—from Colgate University to Harvard Business School to decades of business leadership. What he created through his foundation attempts to extend similar pathways to students facing the same barriers he once confronted.

Closing the Information Gap Through Structured Programs

The Conte First Generation Fund, established at 11 universities including Colgate and Harvard, directly addresses what JP Conte identifies as the “information gap” disadvantaging students whose parents lack college experience. The fund provides scholarships, mentorship, and resources specifically for students who are the first in their families to attend college.

The scale of need is substantial. Approximately 8.2 million first-generation undergraduate students comprise 54% of all undergraduates in the United States. Yet only 26% of these students complete their degrees, compared to 82% of students with two parents who hold bachelor’s degrees.

Conte’s methodology involves direct engagement with universities to assess their capacity to support first-generation students. He evaluated programs at multiple institutions, determining which schools possessed the resources, talent, and commitment to effectively support first-generation students, while others lacked the infrastructure or conviction to prioritize these initiatives.

But JP Conte recognized that intervention at the university level arrived too late for many students. 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.

This realization prompted a shift in strategy toward earlier intervention, supporting students during high school or even earlier to change their trajectories before they reach college.

Mentorship at Scale: SEO Scholars and 10,000 Degrees

JP Conte’s partnerships with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO Scholars) and 10,000 Degrees represent his commitment to early intervention. Both organizations begin working with students in middle school or early high school, providing the extended support timeline that research demonstrates makes a difference.

SEO Scholars operates as a free, eight-year academic program that transforms public high school students into college graduates, achieving an 85% college graduation rate—significantly above the national average. The program provides 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.

Conte’s involvement extends beyond financial support. Each year, he travels to New York to present to SEO students about careers in private equity, demonstrating how they can enter and succeed within the industry. His firm has opened internships specifically for SEO students, providing professional experience that complements academic preparation.

Similarly, 10,000 Degrees, which serves the San Francisco Bay Area where JP Conte is based, achieves 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, many of them program alumni, as near-peer mentors embedded in high schools and community colleges. Students receive personalized college advising, scholarships, financial aid counseling, and career development—and graduate with 88% less student loan debt than the national average.

Conte’s approach to both partnerships reflects his business philosophy applied to philanthropy. 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. He applies the same operational rigor to nonprofit work that he brought to business, insisting on measurable outcomes and effective management.

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. College graduates are 88% more likely to be employed, earn higher wages, and twice as likely to be civically engaged.

For JP Conte, mentorship represents more than philanthropy—it embodies a repayment of the investment others made in him. The programs he supports aim to ensure that talented students, regardless of family background, receive the guidance and support that transformed his own path from Brooklyn to Harvard Business School to business leadership.