Zeed, the first-ever investment platform that uses short-form video to empower Gen Z investors in Europe, has secured £205,000 in pre-seed funding led by SFC Capital, the UK’s most active seed-stage investor. The London-based FinTech startup makes investing more accessible to Gen Z by pairing in-house finance content with trade execution. The funding will be used to continue building the Zeed product, expanding the team, and producing exclusive content.
Co-founders Salman Hussain and Rohan Regmi, Imperial College London and UCL graduates respectively, both worked within financial services themselves in commodities trading and private equity. During their time at university they built Finance-Focused, a 5,000+ member community for early careers in the financial services industry. A survey conducted by Finance Focused showed that 87% of its members – the vast majority of which are Gen Z – found that a lack of access to information was stopping them from making an investment, and that short-form videos were the most engaging method, this is where Zeed comes in.
One in three Gen Z individuals are learning their personal finance from TikTok and YouTube, and are five times more likely to make an investment decision based on what they see on social media. Zeed aims to level the playing field with verified in-house video content to break down financial concepts for retail investors to build their confidence when making investment decisions. Their mobile app, launching later this month, will enable users to watch educational video content on investment trends and general financial knowledge. In the near future, Zeed’s platform will also allow users to invest directly in UK and US equities in a TikTok-style feed.
Salman Hussain, Co-Founder and CEO of Zeed, said: “One of the biggest barriers faced by Gen Z investors is developing the knowledge and confidence to decide what to invest in. More investors want autonomy over how they invest their money, especially when it comes to themes like ESG and impact investing. Communicating these financial concepts clearly has become even more important. We produce TikTok-style short-form content to make that part of the journey effortless and engaging, working with financial institutions and verified content creators.”
Rohan Regmi, Co-Founder and CFO of Zeed, commented: “We felt the problem personally as Gen Z investors ourselves, and saw our peers face the same problem through the community we built at Finance Focused. We also found that the Gen Z population is the most underserved group by traditional financial services firms globally, giving rise to a huge opportunity for innovation in the space. Our vision is to transform the journey that first-time investors go through and drive sustainable wealth empowerment.”
Adam Bev, Investment Associate at SFC Capital, commented: “New generations think differently and have different habits when it comes to learning and accessing information. Being able to tailor products to new Gen Z users, and doing it as brilliantly as Zeed, is extremely important to be future proof.”