Shares is a whole new category of investing app and pioneer of ‘investing made social.’ First generation apps weren’t built for the way people invest today, so we designed a one-stop-shop from the ground up with a fully social user experience.
Shares is a serious platform with no-minimum, no-fees access to a wide range of US stocks and yet is uniquely social, where family, friends and seasoned traders can invest together, sharing knowledge and experience to inspire long-term growth in their investments.
How did you come up with the idea for the company?
The inspiration for Shares came from our personal experience as retail investors. We have seen first hand that relying on platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and WhatsApp for tips and information can be a dangerous way to invest due to unregulated advice and ‘fake news.’ It’s hard for the average investor to know who to trust among the so-called experts, posing a real risk to their financial wellbeing when switching apps to make a trade.
Yet we also knew from our own experience the upside of social media, recognising the way people invest today and unmet demand for a safe place for everyday investors to talk with family and friends about their investments. By combining the functionality of a consumer investment app with the wisdom of online forums, where any investor can buy stocks, react to the market in real-time, start conversations and discuss strategies with friends in one place, we believe Shares will truly resonate with what people expect in an investing platform today.
More from Interviews
- Meet Stephen Kines, COO And Co-Founder Of Goldilock
- Meet Henry Wilkinson, Co-Founder at Drop-in, Ahead Of The Opening Of Drop-in Richmond
- Meet Oli Cook, CEO and Founder of ekko.
- Meet Marko Maras, CEO and Founder of Trustfull
- Meet Jeff Warren, Chief Technology Officer at Netwrix
- Evgeny Filichkin, Investment Advisor at Keytom & FinTech50 Judge, Tells Us What He’s Looking For From Entrants
- Tracy Prandi-Yuen, VP, Global Partnerships at Boku Inc. & FinTech50 Judge, Tells Us What She’s Looking For From Entrants
- Valentina Drofa, Co-Founder and CEO at Drofa Comms & FinTech50 Judge, Tells Us What She’s Looking For From Entrants
Can you tell us more about the process behind finding this company?
In less than a year we have grown to a team of over 85+ based across Europe with offices in Paris, London, Krakow and Toulouse, and we’re just getting started. We’re a proudly multinational business with a diverse range of expertise drawn from the likes of Revolut, Stuart, Bumble, Morgan Stanley, and Just Eat, to name a few.
We are pleased to have the support of top-tier VC backers, angel investors and business advisors who believed in our team and mission strongly enough to commit to the idea of Shares even before there was an app. Our first, pre-product seed round raised $10 million which at that growth stage is one of the largest-ever in Europe.
What can we hope to see from Shares in the future?
Our consumer launch is just around the corner, and we are very excited to make Shares available to everyone who has joined the waitlist. The app will launch early next month in the UK and soon after across Europe, which is unprecedented and faster than potentially any other investing platform before Shares to go-to-market. We have an exciting product roadmap ahead that includes the continued expansion of our suite of tools for users and financial products that will set them up for success.
There is a huge growth potential in retail investment outside the United States, especially in Europe, where fewer people have been convinced to invest before. Shares is on a mission to break down barriers to first-time investors, building a brand as an app for everyone, including women who might see existing apps as a bit of a boys’ club. Changing perceptions is key to attracting demographics that have not been reached before, and we are confident the social-first approach of Shares will give everyone the confidence to build a portfolio.
