Invest Intelligently: How Share.Market is Redefining Discount Broking with Technology The startup's intelligence-driven approach and unique offerings like WealthBaskets have set new standards in discount broking, focusing on delivering advanced investment tools and insights. By 2023, it launched innovative features after acquiring WealthDesk and OpenQ
In the rapidly evolving world of finance, where technology and market trends intersect, the story of Share.Market emerges as a beacon of innovation and foresight. Founded in 2016 by Ujjwal Jain, this bootstrapped startup began with a simple yet profound question: how can everyday investors be empowered to make smarter investment decisions?#sr_widget.onDemand p, #stock_pro.onDemand p{font-size: 14px;line-height: 1.28;} .onDemand .live_stock{left:17px;padding:1px 3px 1px 5px;font-size:12px;font-weight:600;line-height:18px;top:9px} #sr_widget.onDemand .sr_desc{margin:0 auto 0;} #sr_widget.onDemand .sr_desc{color: #024d99;margin-top:10px;} #sr_widget.onDemand .crypto .live_stock .lb-icon{8px 6px 5px 3px !important} #sr_widget.crypto.onDemand a.text{border-bottom:1px solid #ccc;padding-bottom:5px;display:block;width:100%} #sr_widget.onDemand .sr_desc .text p, #stock_pro.onDemand .sr_desc .text p{font-size:12px;font-weight:400;} The journey from inception to success was fueled by a commitment to long-term growth, meticulous research, and a deep understanding of the financial landscape.
Against the backdrop of India's burgeoning equity market, Share.Market leverages technological advancements and regulatory shifts to create an intelligence-driven platform. This platform aims to democratize access to sophisticated investment tools and insights, enabling users to navigate the complexities of the stock market with confidence. By integrating advanced quantitative research, seamless user experiences, and innovative products like WealthBaskets, Share.Market not only differentiated itself in a crowded space but has also set a new standard for discount broking.
In this conversation with ETMarkets, Ujjwal delves into his entrepreneurial journey, the strategic decisions, and the future vision that continue to drive Share.Market's mission of making intelligent investing accessible to all.
ET Spotlight | From Vision to Market: The Share.Market Story
Revolutionizing Investments with Share.MarketJoin us, as Ujjwal Jain, CEO of Share.Market, gives an overview on how Share.Market is transforming the way you trade and invest with its intelligent platform. Learn about groundbreaking features like factor analysis that provides you with the insights you need to make informed decisions and products like WealthBasket that are easy to use investment solutions. Don't miss this opportunity to gain a competitive edge in the market.ET: Let’s talk a little bit about the journey. Going back to 2016 when you started a bootstrapped startup, what was the thought process? And how much of that has been carried forward to Share.Market?UJ: In 2016, I quit my job at a global hedge fund in Mumbai to seize the opportunity in India's evolving financial landscape. Savings were increasingly flowing into equities, with mutual funds growing significantly—SIPs grew by almost 47% compounded annually. From 1,200 crores per month in 2014 to 8,000 crores by 2019. Post-2019 and then COVID, the 100X story of mutual funds continued to compound at a rate of almost 20% and today SIPs stand at 21,000 crores monthly.
At the same time, the broking industry began its growth cycle, driven by regulatory support for digital account openings and the rise of discount broking, which offered seamless onboarding and low fees. Recognizing this trend, we aimed to ensure people invested smartly as the market expanded.
We started in 2016, and as you mentioned, the word "bootstrapped" is important because building for a 10-year view requires commitment, patience, and perseverance. We took all of that into our mindset to build something with a long-term view. That is how we started building an intelligence layer or an intelligence platform that sits on top of a broking platform.
When we launched Share.Market in September 2023, following the acquisition of intelligence platforms, WealthDesk and OpenQ, we embarked on a bold 10-year mission. As the market grows, Share.Market aims to attract more people to the broking industry, empowering them to invest, trade, and make decisions with intelligence and confidence.
With Share.Market, we continued our mission to elevate discount broking with intelligence, helping more people invest and trade smartly. This vision, rooted in our 2016 beginnings, continues to drive us forward.
ET: In this highly competitive space of online finance platforms, where there are legacy players and new tech-driven platforms, how does Share.Market differentiate itself?
UJ: The broking industry is transforming into a tech-driven, consumer-focused business, demanding reliable, fault-tolerant platforms. Both full-service and discount brokers are affected, but the shift is most pronounced in discount broking, which has democratized access with low-cost, DIY models.
Historically, traditional brokers catered to a limited clientele with high-touch relationships. In contrast, discount brokers invested heavily in technology to expand market access. Today, there are around 16 crore Demat accounts in India, growing at 20-30%, indicating early-stage penetration.
This growth will be driven by discount brokers, requiring major tech investments. As a consumer internet company, we've learned to build for scale and reach millions. Our focus is on providing intelligence within the discount broking space.
Since 2016, we've been on this path. After acquiring WealthDesk and OpenQ, and leveraging PhonePe's distribution, we're positioned to deliver intelligence at scale. Our goal is to enhance the customer experience with research and technology, ensuring confident investing and trading.
ET: What unique value proposition does Share.Market offer its users?
UJ: People often rely on research reports, market news, and personal views when investing in stocks. Globally, trillions of dollars are tracked using quantitative models, known in India as smart beta. Smart beta includes factors like quality, value, size, yield, momentum, and sentiments. Quality relates to the fundamentals of stocks, value to getting them at a good price, momentum to price velocity, and sentiments to market sentiment and analyst coverage.
We've integrated these factors into our product, creating an intelligence layer that tracks and updates every stock daily. This research is embedded into our platform, offering insights on stock pages, watchlists, and curated portfolios like WealthBaskets.
Our goal is to seamlessly provide these insights throughout the investment journey, combining extensive data and technology to offer value and research at scale while maintaining discount broking prices.
ET: Can you elaborate on the "Intelligence Layer" within Share.Market? How does it provide insights to users?
UJ: Our intelligence layer serves both investors and traders with subtle yet effective insights. It’s applied in two main areas on our platform:
Markets Section: We provide a top-down view of the markets, starting with indices. This organized and streamlined information helps users make informed trading and investing decisions quickly.Direct Stock Investment: We offer a comprehensive quantitative research view on stock pages, going beyond traditional technicals and fundamentals. Users can screen stocks using these factors, create custom baskets, and invest intelligently.We also curate WealthBaskets based on in-house research, offering portfolios like asset allocation ETFs, momentum, quality, and sentiment portfolios. These baskets are regularly updated, with notifications for necessary changes.
By integrating this intelligence layer, we enhance the investing and trading experience, making it more informed and efficient.
ET: What are WealthBaskets, and how can they help investors build a diversified portfolio on your platform?
UJ: The toughest part for most investors is knowing when to exit a stock and how to allocate their savings into the right portfolios. While wealthier individuals have access to private wealth management services, retail investors often rely on mutual funds and direct stock investments.
WealthBasket offers a new, simplified approach to stock research. Instead of overwhelming users with extensive stock lists, WealthBasket consolidates stock research into a single view, making it easy to understand and invest in specific strategies or sectors. Users receive updates on research changes, allowing seamless portfolio adjustments.
WealthBaskets enable systematic investing in direct stocks and ETFs. For example, if there's momentum in pharma stocks, users can invest in a pharma WealthBasket to capture that theme intelligently.
This approach simplifies investing, making it systematic and accessible for direct stock and ETF investments.
ET: Absolutely. It looks very interesting. If someone wants to invest, they would have this question as to who reviews this WealthBasket. Is it the Share.Market team who reviews the basket?
UJ: Yes, we have a research arm that powers the entire WealthBasket through in-house research. They review the baskets, and based on the investment date and review, users receive updates via email, push notifications, and the app. This ensures everyone is informed and can update their portfolios accordingly.
ET: Very nice. So, keeping everyone informed at the same time in case there is a review and a change in these stocks. I'm assuming that when experts say, for example, a particular sector like pharma, which stocks in the pharma sector are trading below intrinsic value or at attractive valuations, you have already selected those stocks at that point in time. The user does not have to single-handedly select the stocks, correct?
UJ: Yes, for example, if it's a momentum pharma portfolio, it already captures the momentum in the pharma sector. The stocks in that pharma WealthBasket are based on their momentum scores.
If the pharma sector's price moves, the stocks with higher momentum scores will likely outperform the overall sector. Similarly, for long-term portfolios, there are quality portfolios where we pick stocks based on quality, value, and growth factors.
ET: Okay. What are your future plans for Share.Market? Any new features or expansions you can share?
UJ: Looking ahead, we are enhancing our intelligence layer by integrating AI and machine learning to offer personalized insights and recommendations. We plan to expand our WealthBasket offerings with new themes and strategies to cater to diverse investment preferences. Additionally, we are exploring partnerships with global data providers to bring international investment opportunities to our users.
ET: That's very insightful. Lastly, what advice would you give to new investors who are just starting their investment journey on Share.Market?
UJ: For new investors, my advice would be to start with a clear understanding of your financial goals and risk tolerance. Take advantage of the educational resources available on our platform to learn about different investment strategies and products.
Start small, diversify your investments, and avoid making impulsive decisions based on short-term market movements. Utilize our WealthBaskets to get a diversified and research-backed approach to investing.
Lastly, stay informed and regularly review your portfolio to ensure it aligns with your financial objectives. Investing is a journey, and with the right tools and knowledge, you can navigate it successfully.
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From a bold startup in 2016 to a pioneering platform in 2024, Share.Market's journey is a testament to vision, perseverance, and the power of technology-driven innovation in the financial sector. With a focus on empowering investors through intelligence and research, Share.Market is set to redefine the landscape of discount broking in India.
#sr_widget.onDemand p, #stock_pro.onDemand p{font-size: 14px;line-height: 1.28;} .onDemand .live_stock{left:17px;padding:1px 3px 1px 5px;font-size:12px;font-weight:600;line-height:18px;top:9px} #sr_widget.onDemand .sr_desc{margin:0 auto 0;} #sr_widget.onDemand .sr_desc{color: #024d99;margin-top:10px;} #sr_widget.onDemand .crypto .live_stock .lb-icon{8px 6px 5px 3px !important} #sr_widget.crypto.onDemand a.text{border-bottom:1px solid #ccc;padding-bottom:5px;display:block;width:100%} #sr_widget.onDemand .sr_desc .text p, #stock_pro.onDemand .sr_desc .text p{font-size:12px;font-weight:400;} In Video: ET Spotlight | From Vision to Market: The Share.Market Story
This story originally appeared on: India Times - Author:Faqs of Insurances
