Valuraha is a software company that exists to increase investor education and to promote investments among youth. The start-up has the mission to organize and connect the youth to Africa’s investment options.
“We have developed a virtual trading platform mapping out different local investment instruments such as shares, bonds, treasury bills, unit trusts, etc. using real market rates and simulating the actual financial market. The Valuraha trader is used in schools to add practicality of teaching financial courses,” says the group’s CEO Wangechi
There is a low level of investor education in Kenya especially the youth. Valuraha is looking to improve the situation in the country as this was the reason behind them forming this start up.
“We are providing information that enables one to make a sound investment decision and ensuring that people are able to easily access these options. We are also offering a customized and tailor made solution to Universities for the teaching of finance, especially when it comes to portfolio management, fund management. We are also creating the bridge between industry and academia through research, access to internship and job opportunities etc,” says Wangechi.
The start-up is looking to promote investor education within high schools by forming an Investment club where they learn and do research about the financial markets and listed companies. Here is how you get yourself involved with them.
The start-up has had their fair share of ‘tarmacking’ because getting funding is not an easy task and they did it for 10 months that is before reaching out to a few channels for investments. They also got an angel investor and are currently on convertible debt. Apart from that the start-up has a business model and a revenue generation system, they include:
• Learning institutions are charged on a termly/semester basis. The charge is based on the number of students using the platform. The cost of using the platform is added to the students school fees. Each institution gets a sub-domain on the platform that allows for creation of multiple leagues.
• Partnerships with financial institutions: Partnering with financial institutions to distribute their information on investment options, give them access to a wider audience, to resell their products as agents as well as to give them access to talented portfolio managers as evidenced from the virtual trader.
So far, 3 of the top high schools are also using the Valuraha platform and it has also been successfully adopted by Strathmore University and has been integrated to curriculum.
“Lecturers and students are using it within the Investment and Portfolio Management Unit and other units. Students are using it to compete and show their prowess. We have a number of people from this population that are transitioning to actual trade,” said Wangechi
Of course, all success stories must have had their share of challenges and Valuraha is no exception. The start-up says that the main challenge that they face is deciding on what to focus on now, and what to shelve for later, or what to completely leave out given that the industry is very wide.
In future, Valuraha is looking into organizing as many investment options in Africa (inclusive of educating people about them) and connecting millions of people to them. Also building a really strong bridge between industry and academia especially when it comes to the teaching of financial courses.
So this is the Valuraha Team below