Top 5 Innovative Investment Apps for 2021
Innovation Snapshot
Some of our favourite innovations making it easier to learn and practise investment, including an app that grants millennials shares, and a company focusing on ethical investment.
During unstable times, we all know that it is helpful to be on top of our finances. The concept of investment, however, is one that many fear is too complex or difficult to engage with. Moreover, it is clear that whatever the capitalist connotations of investment are, the concept can be used altruistically, to help those in need.
Here at Springwise, we are keen to promote investment innovators around the globe who seek to make the process more transparent, and at the same time, be a force for good. Here, we identify five of our favourite investment innovations, from an app aiming to help out Millenials by granting them shares to a startup seeking to match investors with farmers in Senegal.
1. STARTUP MATCHES FARMERS WITH INVESTORS IN SENEGAL
The Senegal-based company Bayseddo created an online platform that connects land-owning farmers with investors interested in agriculture. The startup serves as a match-maker and a supervisor, keeping track of the farms’ development and the return on investment.
Senegalese farmers struggle to farm their land because they lack access to financing. Bayseddo aims to solve this problem by modernising an ancient tradition in African farming communities — for centuries, farmers partnered with relations who had funds to help them. Today, the startup uses a mobile app and real-time tracking software to do the same thing.
2. INVESTMENT APP TARGETS MILLENNIALS WITH SHARES IN TRENDING ITEMS
American cultural investment app Otis is offering art enthusiasts the opportunity to co-own trendy art pieces and other pricey items that appeal particularly to the millennial generation. The platform allows users to invest in a curated selection of artworks and other desired items, including sneakers and even comic books, starting at $25 (€22.5) per share.
Otis acquires high-quality assets, divides them into smaller shares, and offers them as equity investments. Anyone who invests in an asset becomes a shareholder. Similar to a stock market, investors can buy and sell shares after a certain period of time.
3. STARTUP ALLOWS PEOPLE TO EARN STOCK WHEN THEY SHOP
US-based startup Bumped helps people earn stock by shopping. Each purchase made at a participating business earns Bumped clients stock, the company says.
Bumped aims to make the stock market more accessible, according to the startup. It says 14 per cent of Americans currently own stock, and its platform makes it easy to earn stock in the companies its clients trust and helps build brand loyalty for businesses. The platform is straightforward: you sign up, enter your credit or debit card number, and shop. Each purchase from Bumped-partner businesses earns you fractional shares of stocks.
4. APP OFFERS READY-MADE INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS
The Australian startup pearler wants to be the “Spotify for investment”. pearler is an investing app that allows users to invest in ready-made portfolios. Its mission is to “make smart investing easy, enjoyable, and personal”.
pearler suggests investment ideas based on a user’s preferences and helps them through the investing process. Ready-made portfolios called “playlists pearls” filter opportunities by categories. For example, users can filter by different industries such as e-commerce or renewables, different actions such as companies that champion equality, goals such as saving for a home, or by a specific company name. Each stock is like a song and individuals can choose the ones that appeal to them the most.
5. INVESTMENT APP TARGETS ETHICAL INVESTING
More and more people are becoming concerned about the ethical implications of investing, and are looking to invest in companies and sectors with high ethical standards. Yet for novices who want to manage their own trades, it can be time-consuming to investigate companies standards.
Recently launched startup, Shape, hopes to make it easier for people to invest ethically. The company has developed an iOS app which provides easy-to-follow information on what to look for when choosing stocks. The app assumes very little or no prior trading knowledge and can be easily integrated with popular brokerages, such as Fidelity and eTrade.
5th January 2021