UK FinTech Prograd expands to the US as demand for online side hustles grows among young people
London-founded financial technology platform Prograd has launched in the United States following rapid growth in the UK, as more young people turn to online side hustles to supplement their income amid rising living costs.
Founded in the UK by Ethan Fraenkel and Marco Logiudice, Prograd was built to help students, graduates and early-career workers find legitimate, beginner-friendly ways to earn money online. The platform brings together paid surveys, online tasks and flexible earning opportunities in one mobile-first app.
Since launching in the UK, Prograd says it has helped over one million users earn more than £5 million in additional income, driven largely by demand from younger users navigating higher rents, student debt and everyday cost pressures.
That UK traction has now led the company to expand into the US, starting with New York, one of the most expensive cities in the world. According to StreetEasy, the median asking rent in New York reached $3,874 in December 2025, up 7.6% year-on-year, while inflation across the wider New York–Newark–Jersey City region rose 3.4% over the same period, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“We built Prograd in the UK to make earning extra money simpler and more accessible for young people,” said Ethan Fraenkel, Co-Founder of Prograd. “After seeing how quickly the platform grew here, expanding into the US felt like the natural next step. Young people in the UK and US are facing very similar pressures, and the way they earn money is changing.”
The move comes as side hustles become increasingly mainstream on both sides of the Atlantic. Recent research suggests that more than a third of US adults now earn income from a side hustle, with Gen Z and millennials the most active, reflecting a broader shift towards flexible, online earning models.
Prograd’s platform allows users to sign up in minutes, browse earning opportunities and complete tasks directly from their phone, without needing experience or committing to fixed hours. The company says its model is designed to fit around work, study and everyday life, allowing users to earn in short bursts whenever they have spare time.
“As living costs continue to rise, especially for younger people, earning extra money is no longer just a nice-to-have,” Fraenkel added. “What we’ve seen in the UK is now playing out globally. Prograd exists to help people take control of their finances by making earning opportunities easier to find and easier to access.”
Alongside its consumer platform, Prograd also works with brands and financial institutions, using anonymised insights to better understand how younger audiences engage with money, work and digital earning opportunities.
The US launch marks a significant milestone for the UK fintech, as it looks to scale its model internationally and position itself as a global platform built for the next generation of earners.
To find Prograd in the United States, visit https://www.prograd.app/us.