The Origin of Endowe

Five years ago, I found myself on the floor at a friend’s house after a birthday party surrounded by toys.

Toy cars, building blocks, toy trucks, plastic everything. Piled on the couch, the dining table, the hallway. So many gifts, and yet... the kid barely played with half of them.

We began boxing up the extras: some to keep, many to donate. And as I helped clean up, this quiet frustration bubbled up inside of me:

Why are we doing this? Why are we spending so much love, money, and effort on things that don’t last?

That wasn’t a new thought. As godparents to some incredible kids, my partner and I spent thousands on gifts for birthdays, holidays and other celebrations. We love giving. But year after year, we saw the same pattern: most of what we gave ended up broken, discarded or forgotten within weeks.

And in that moment, the idea for Endowe snapped into place.

“So why don’t you build it?”

I said out loud, “What if we could give investments instead? Stocks, ETFs, bonds, something that actually grows with the child? And why doesn’t something like that exist?”

And my friend, without skipping a beat, looked at me and said, “if nothing like that exists, why don’t you build it?”

So I said, “Okay. I will.”

That was it. The origin of Endowe.

Since then, the idea has never left me. It’s lived in the background of my life, getting louder and louder with every new baby, every birthday gift, every visit where the living room floor is covered up in toys no one asked for.

Now more than ever, I know it’s time.

The last few years have had a lot of turbulence in the world, and in my own family. It’s made me hold tighter to what matters. It’s made me think about legacy, about how we show love, about how we build for the people we care about.

And honestly? I feel it in my gut. Now is the time for this.

Not just for my own future children.
But for all kids.
For everyone who wants to be more intentional. Everyone who wants to turn moments of love and generosity into something lasting.

What is Endowe?

Endowe is a modern investment gift registry. Instead of clutter, you can build a registry filled with stocks, ETFs, crypto, and other investment products. Friends and family can contribute directly, just like they would to a traditional registry, but now their gifts have the potential to grow.

We’re launching soon. And we’re building it for everyone who wants to give better, invest smarter, and build something real for the people they love.

This blog is the beginning of a series. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing more about why this matters — the numbers, the psychology of gifting, the environmental impact, and the generational opportunity in front of us.

But mostly, it’s just me sharing why I believe in this, not just as a founder, but as someone who’s been giving all her life and now wants to do it better.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for being here.

With lots for love,
Your Godmother Ada