Seeds Finance Receives Funding, Strengthens Innovative Financial Education

Platform social investingSeeds Finance announced funding from a number of investors with the nominal value kept confidential. The investors are Samuel Jeanblanc (angel investors from XA Network and Google), Prantik Mazumdar (angel investors also President of TiE Singapore and Substack), and Ruvento Ventures (early stage VC based in Singapore).

Separately quote from Willy's upload on LinkedIn, there are several names of other investors who participated, namely Alex Peter (angel investors and Venture Partner DeVC), Frank Chung (angel investors and Angel Squad Member Hustle Fund), and DeVC. Entire angel investors now join as advisor in Seeds.

The company will use the fresh funds to develop applications, business and overall company growth.

Founder and CEO of Seeds Finance Willy Tan said that this funding shows investors' trust in the company's commitment to increasing financial literacy and investment for the younger generation in Indonesia.

"We are committed to creating a fun learning experience through investment simulation games, which make financial literacy and investment more accessible and understandable for the younger generation," said in an official statement, Thursday (29/2).

Willy continued, this financial literacy journey cannot be completed in one or two years because it requires long-term sustainability. The hope is that this application can become the initial foundation for building solid financial literacy in the future.

Seeds was developed specifically for the younger generation using the concept social investing. This app combines virtual trading, gamification, and social media, for a unique approach to financial education and investment literacy.

This application does not require a deposit, so there is no risk of losing money when you start exploring and trying to invest. Users can learn to create simulated investment portfolios without the risk of losing real money. Even though it is virtual, the chart displayed occurs in real time real-time making the investment experience more memorable.

Additionally, there are gamification-based virtual trading competitions known as 'Play Arena Tournaments'. This competition is held regularly and opens up opportunities for participants to win millions of Rupiah. The investment asset classes currently available are the United States stock market and crypto assets.

It is claimed that Seeds has been downloaded more than 50 thousand times on the Play Store. This achievement was able to be achieved because in its marketing Seeds utilized community bases at various universities. Monthly active users have reached 12 thousand people, with 400% growth from month to month. Meanwhile, paid users have reached 3 thousand people with monthly growth of 500%.

The difference between paying and non-paying users is the nominal prize they have the opportunity to win for each competition held. This competition has an entry ticket that must be paid in advance by the user. If paid, the prize up for grabs is of greater nominal value.

In a previous interview, Willy said that the positive impact that the concept of social investing can have is that users can learn about the world of investment in a more fun way through gamification. With the knowledge and financial literacy provided, users can try various points of view and perspectives regarding their views on future projections for an asset class.

This startup was officially introduced in 2023, Willy started it because he was inspired by a proverb from the Bamboo Curtain Country, 'Qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zúxià'. This means that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.