There has been a well-documented boom in retail investing during the pandemic, which has notably included a rise in Millennial and Gen Z investors. We believe that trend, along with an increase in crypto investors and NFT trades, presents an opportunity to build a new streamlined experience for the modern retail trader.
The Nuts & Bolts
Problem: The number of retail investors using trading apps, such as Charles Schwab and Robinhood, has quintupled over the past five years to an estimated 150 million in 2021. Added to that mix are DeFi apps, including Coinbase, Metamask, OpenSea, and FTX that have amassed millions of users and billions in trading volume. The result is a highly fragmented brokerage landscape, with traders toggling between multiple apps.
Solution: Roi is on a mission to provide retail investors with a mobile-first platform that aggregates DeFi and stock trading apps, allowing them to track and manage their portfolio in one place–including buying and selling. Think of it as a Web3 version of Wealthfront, but with the added benefit of trading.
Getting to know Roi
Roi is the creation of Sujith Vishwajith, an ex-Airbnb software engineer and retail investing enthusiast. Sujith’s strong technical background from Airbnb, Google, and Microsoft allowed him to build Roi’s minimum viable product by himself. At Airbnb, he got to know Chip Davis, who is now the Chief Product Officer for Roi. Chip was head of design for Airbnb’s professional Hosting products, reimagined the retail experience for Nike’s House of Innovation, and led the HMI design team at Faraday Future. Both of them have experience building delightful customer experiences for millions of users.
Why now?
We believe that Roi’s platform is positioned to capitalize on both the crypto investing boom and the emerging but fragmented Web3 space. Despite current stock market volatility, the growth of retail trading during the pandemic appears to have permanently changed the investment landscape. Credit Suisse estimates that trading activity of independent investors has doubled since the start of 2020, from 15%-18% to over 30% by early 2021. There are now over 100 million users at the top six most popular brokerages. However, retail investors today still don’t have an easy way to see all the wallets, NFTs, and assets they have in one place.
The future of Roi
In less than two months, Roi has launched a closed beta with early users and built up a robust TikTok and Instagram following. Users have come through Roi organically, eager to use the product and effectively manage their full portfolio of cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and other assets. Platform-wise, Roi currently supports over 12 chains and 1,000+ brokerages with plans to support even more in the coming months. We look forward to supporting Roi as it creates the ultimate platform for the modern retail trader.
You can learn more about Roi at: https://www.getroi.app/
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