Meet Propelle, the new innovative investment platform specifically designed for women, launched last month (September 25th). Founded by Ayesha Ofori, a former Goldman Sachs Executive Director and Wealth Adviser, Propelle aims to revolutionise the investment landscape by equipping women with the tools, education, and community needed to achieve financial freedom.
The platform’s launch comes at a crucial time. The UK’s gender investment gap currently stands at a staggering £1.65 trillion, with women being significantly underserved by traditional financial institutions. Propelle directly addresses this disparity by offering a comprehensive platform that integrates financial education, community support, and diverse investment options, all tailored to meet the specific needs of women.
Ayesha Ofori, Propelle’s founder and CEO, brings a wealth of expertise from her time at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, where she personally managed over £500 million in client assets. Frustrated by a system that primarily benefited the already wealthy (and predominantly men), Ayesha left Goldman Sachs with a mission to create an inclusive investment platform that empowers women to build wealth. Her deep experience in managing multi-asset portfolios, coupled with her passion for financial education, makes Propelle uniquely positioned to serve women investors.
Propelle’s platform offers a suite of features designed to simplify and enhance the investment experience for women including:
All-in-One Platform: No need for multiple apps; Propelle brings everything together in one place, from education to community support and direct investment capabilities.
Diverse Portfolio Options: Users can build a truly diversified portfolio, combining traditional investments like ISAs and funds from major players such as Vanguard, BlackRock, and HSBC with plans to add alternative investments, including fractionalized real estate, startup investing, and even wine and art investing.
Values-Based Investing: Propelle offers investment options that align with users’ personal values, including Sustainable and Shariah-compliant investments.
Exclusive Access: The platform has plans to provide access to assets typically reserved for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, such as real estate and startup investing, democratising opportunities for women to build wealth.
Propelle is more than just an investment platform; it is a movement aimed at closing the gender wealth gap and empowering women to take control of their financial futures. The platform has already raised over £1.2 million of pre-seed funding, with 90% of the most recent investors being women. Backed by notable figures such as Stefan Bollinger (co-head of Wealth Management, EMEA at Goldman Sachs) and Jim Garman (Global Head of Real Estate Investing at Goldman Sachs), Lucy Demery (Managing Director of Fintech Investment Banking at Barclays), Tamara Lohan (Founder of Mr & Mrs Smith) and Maxine Laceby (Founder of Absolute Collagen), Propelle is poised to make a significant impact.
With ambitious plans for the future, Propelle is working on adding more features and tools, such as smart goal setting, risk assessment, and digital financial planning, to support its mission of helping over 1 million women invest regularly and build stable financial futures.
The app will be free to download which includes several free features, such as investing via ISA’s or general investment accounts, access to a beginners guide to investing and access to free, monthly webinars. There is also a Pro membership option at £6.99 per month (for the first 3 months, then £9.99 per month) or £59.99 for the first year (which works out to £4.99 on a monthly basis, then £99.99 annually thereafter. This also includes a free 7 day trial). Pro membership includes on demand replays of all past webinars, access to financial workshops, deepdive educational courses on traditional investments, and access to recommended money experts (e.g. mortgage brokers, tax advisors, accountants etc).
