Laurie and Jesse Gerber, who are fraternal twins, were born and raised on the Upper East Side of New York City. They got the entrepreneurial bug from their father, who owned a woodworking school for children in the 70's and 80's. Both graduated from Stuyvesant High School. Laurie went on to Swarthmore College while Jesse attended Cornell University. Laurie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education and Political Science and a certification to teach grades K-8. Jesse earned his Bachelor of Arts as a part of the College Scholar program, designing his own major around issues of social justice and education.

Both of the Gerbers worked in a variety of education-related positions after college. Laurie honed her teaching ability at the Ethical Culture School, and at Rodeph Sholom's and Central Synagogue's religious schools. Jesse gained operational experience by managing small businesses in Ithaca for three years after graduation. Both tutored and worked with teen empowerment programs in their spare time. In early 1999, Laurie began tutoring full time and quickly had more customers than she could handle on her own. That same year, Jesse returned to New York City and the siblings began to lay the groundwork for Partners With Parents, Inc. By the fall of 1999, Jesse and Laurie had designed the business model for Partners With Parents, recruited their first tutors, and had begun to serve a growing customer base. Almost 15 years later, Partners With Parents, Inc. continues to improve the academic experiences of hundreds of New York area students each year.