The seed round was led by Artha Venture Fund (AVF), India’s first early-stage micro-VC fund. SAT Industries and angel investor Akhil Jalan also participated in the round. FTL will use the funds to introduce multiple asset classes
Fantasy Trading League (FTL), the financial edugaming platform for the uninitiated millennials, has raised ₹2.24 crores in a seed round led by Artha Venture Fund (AVF), India’s first early-stage micro-VC fund. SAT Industries and angel investor Akhil Jalan also participated in the round. FTL will use the funds to introduce multiple asset classes such as commodities and bonds, for team expansion and customer acquisition. Additionally, the start-up will also include multi-lingual educational content on the basics of trading & investing, and in-depth market analysis, among other aspects. This is AVF’s 15th investment from its ₹225 crores micro-VC fund.
The gamified “learn while you earn” platform allows traders to test their strategies in a simulated market environment while participating in games that involve real money. It allows users to play daily contests and win daily cash and noncash prizes while offering insights into how financial markets operate. FTL provides a closed-loop platform that enables participants to get real-world trading experience and develop critical skills in a low-risk environment. FTL will largely cater to the budding millennial investor based in relatively smaller towns and is set to become a multi-lingual offering. Of the ~1.3 million Demat accounts holders added every month since April 2020 in India, FTL is set to capture the sizable market of 10 million millennials from the overall pool every year.
The FTL team has interacted with over 10,000 users since 2018, as part of the previously established AI-based financial literacy platform. This experience and direct feedback from students laid the foundation for Fantasy Trading League, which offers better stickiness than traditional learning methods. Moreover, developments from the Union Budget 2022-23, and the volatility in the crypto space has led to mixed reactions from investors at large. FTL will cater to such challenges by offering crypto-based games with low-risk and high rewards. This will also demystify the space further by catering to challenges such as financial literacy and excessive jargonization through its immersive gamified experience. Such solutions will allow users to understand the markets better, build skills, and thus enable smarter financial decisions.
Shahzaib Ahmed, Co-founder, Fantasy Trading League said, “We were blown away by the significant white space in the industry that could be leveraged to engage with budding and existing investors, who are interested in the financial markets but are hesitant in exploring the prospect headlong – especially in tier 2-3 markets. Being a customer-first company, we wanted to give them a non-volatile space where they could hone their strategies and skills.”
“We were clear that we wanted to partner with investors who would closely be involved in the company, had in-depth knowledge of the markets, and shall help us scale the business. AVF’s strategic approach was a clear draw and sealed them as our preferred partners. We are excited to work with the team at AVF and are confident of a fruitful association”, he added.
Syed Shaaz, Co-founder, Fantasy Trading League said, “FTL will successfully address the barriers such as lack of awareness, anxiety about risk, unrealistic expectations of returns, and a need for risk-free investments that give stable returns. The element of prizes and rewards adds to the excitement and provides constant motivation to learn and yield returns.”
Anirudh A Damani, Managing Partner, Artha Venture Fund commented, “FTL, as a fantasy gaming platform focused on simulating crypto and stock markets, has a strong subject-matter advantage. With the recent spike in average individual savings, the stock-broking and personal investment segments have caught wind during the last 18 months. Moreover, combining Finance, Gaming, and Education in a unified platform is a unique challenge.
We believe that FTL’s team has the vision and the potential to emerge as clear category leaders. Shaaz and Shahzaib’s passion and frugal innovation are impressive, and we are glad to partner with them.”
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