An innovative, award-winning app, which makes it easy and affordable for families to invest for their children’s future, has embarked on a six-figure crowdfunding round.
Beanstalk, which recorded 350% growth in assets under management (AUM) last year, has registered more than 12,000 users since launching in 2020.
The business was co-founded by Julian Robson, who co-led the UK business of global financial services company Capital One on its launch, and Cem Eyi, who spent seven years at Capital One in data analysis, marketing and business development roles.
Prior to launching Beanstalk, the pair set up the cash-back brand KidStart in 2008, which now has over one million registrations.
Charging a competitive annual asset management fee of 0.5%, Beanstalk brings together a combination of tools that make it simple for parents to save money for their children and themselves.
Through the app, users are able to manage all their children’s as well as their own accounts on a single portal where they can also invite friends and family members to contribute to a child’s Junior ISA or directly send money for birthdays and other special occasions.
Cem Eyi
As part of KidStart, Beanstalk also offers its users money back at over 2,000 retailers with rebates going directly into their child’s Junior ISA.
With research showing that only five per cent of UK parents open a stocks and shares Junior ISA, Beanstalk is focused on making it easier for people to save for their children and manage their wider financial affairs.
The app has proven popular amongst its users generating high rankings on a range of consumer review sites, including a 4.6 rating on Trustpilot.
Through its new crowdfunding campaign, Beanstalk aims to raise investment primarily to build scale through customer acquisition and partnerships. The company will also invest in product development and growing its team.
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Beanstalk co-founder Julian Robson said: “We are on a mission to help parents by making it simple and affordable to build a nest egg for their children’s future, regardless of how much they are able to save.
As well as encouraging families to invest for the first time, we are also seeing a number of parents transferring existing Junior ISAs and child trust funds to Beanstalk as we offer a cost-effective and easy-to-manage platform where users can view their accounts in real time.
“These factors have led to a significant increase in our level of AUM, which we are focused on further growing in multiples over the course of 2022.”
Fellow co-founder Cem Eyi said: “The crowdfunding campaign will support our growth ambitions. This additional investment will help Beanstalk scale up our business through customer acquisition and investment into new strategic partnerships that will further enhance our brand and help us grow our presence in the UK market.”