Breaking In, Then Breaking Barriers: Bryce Viorst’s Story Behind StreetSmart

From navigating the opaque world of Wall Street recruiting to building a platform that tears down its barriers, Bryce Viorst is rewriting the rules of access to high finance. After breaking in from a non-traditional background and mentoring others along the way, Bryce saw an opportunity—and a responsibility—to level the playing field. His leap from investment banking to full-time founder marked a pivotal shift. In this edition of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, we explore how StreetSmart empowers underrepresented candidates with AI-driven tools that turn gatekeeping into a game-changing opportunity.

Hi, Bryce! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

StreetSmart is an AI-powered career prep platform dedicated to democratizing access to Wall Street by leveling the playing field for candidates looking to break into high finance roles like investment banking, private equity, and hedge funds. We serve ambitious students and aspiring professionals—especially those from non-target schools or underrepresented backgrounds—who often lack the built-in advantages of legacy networks or early exposure. Through AI-optimized resume tools, targeted job discovery, interview preparation, and real-time market insights, we streamline a traditionally fragmented and opaque recruiting process. Our platform provides users with a clear, merit-based path to top finance roles, replacing expensive bootcamps and outdated methods with a smarter, faster, and more empowering solution. The impact we aim for is straightforward: to help more candidates secure roles they were told were out of reach and to change the narrative around who gets in and why.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

That moment came right after I left my full-time investment banking role. I had already built the early design and validated it with potential users, but the turning point was making the leap. Investment banking is a high-security, high-pay, high-status path. Walking away from that for something unproven required me to bet fully on myself and the vision. Once I did that, everything changed—mentally, emotionally, and practically. It stopped being a side project and became a company. That was the moment I knew I was truly building something, not just planning it.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

The frustration I experienced during the recruiting process was the spark. I didn’t come from a “target” school and started the process late. I saw firsthand how difficult it was to get a fair shot, even with the skills and qualifications. Most resumes never get seen, especially from non-targets, and prep tools were expensive, fragmented, and ineffective. After finally breaking in—and then mentoring others—I realized the entire recruiting experience was fundamentally broken. I couldn’t stop thinking about how to fix it. That passion, combined with early validation from peers and industry contacts, pushed me to go all in and build something better—with the goal of redefining the outdated Wall Street recruiting process.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

Figma has been a game-changer for us. It’s where we designed the entire UI/UX for StreetSmart. The collaborative nature of Figma made it easy for our team to iterate quickly, stay aligned across design and development, and bring ideas to life visually before writing a single line of code. It helped us build a product that feels clean, intuitive, and tailored to our users’ needs—without wasting time or budget on misaligned designs.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

One of the biggest early lessons was that building a great product isn’t enough—you also need a real strategy to get it in front of the right people. Initially, I was laser-focused on product development, assuming the value would speak for itself. But without a clear go-to-market strategy, even the best features can go unnoticed. That forced me to pivot toward partnerships, user acquisition, and community building. It taught me that building a great product is only half the battle—you also have to make sure people know it exists and understand why it matters.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

Instead of focusing on a traditional end-user, consumer-driven strategy, we prioritized institutional partnerships from day one. By targeting finance clubs and university organizations, particularly at non-target schools, we were able to embed StreetSmart directly into communities where the need was greatest. This B2B-first approach accelerated adoption, strengthened credibility, and gave us high-quality user insights far earlier than we would have achieved through individual acquisition alone. It allowed us to build trust at scale and refine the product around real-world challenges, not assumptions.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

I wish I had known earlier that speed of learning matters more than the illusion of a perfect plan. Early on, I thought success hinged on having the perfect product and strategy before launching. In reality, the market forces you to adapt—no plan survives first contact with real users. The faster you put something into the world, gather real feedback, and adjust, the faster you build something that actually works. Progress comes from momentum, not perfection. Start earlier, stay adaptable, and treat everything as an iteration.

Want to dive deeper into Bryce's work? Check out the links below!

• Visit StreetSmart's website street-smart.io
• Follow StreetSmart on LinkedIn
• Find StreetSmart on Instagram @streetsmart.io
• Connect with Bryce on LinkedIn: Bryce Viorst