Commission-free social investing app Public has closed a $15 million Series B funding round led by Accel and Greycroft, with participation from Hollywood actor Will Smith and NFL star JJ Watt.
Smith's Dreamers VC and Watt were joined in the round by Girlboss founder Sophia Amoruso, Blavity founder Morgan DeBaun and former Venmo COO Michael Vaughan, among others.
Previously called Matador, the Public app is part of an increasingly crowded field of tech upstarts, led by Robinhood, disrupting the retail investing model.
Public lets users buy slices of any US stocks and invest in ETFs for as little as $5, commission free.
The firm is aiming to differentiate itself through it social side, letting users follow friends, experts, companies and themes to learn about investing and build up their financial literacy.
Public hopes that by bringing onboard "influencers" such as Smith and Watt, it can build up the social aspect of the app as it seeks to promote "open conversations" about how and why people invest.