Meet the young couple building the next-gen Fintech for Millennials

Bengaluru-based Fintech startup, MoneyPlanned has secured funding from Expert Dojo (International Accelerator VC), Mr Sameer Khan (Executive Director at DBS Bank, Singapore), Mr Ajay Prabhu (President at Quest Global) and a clutch of other prominent angels in January 2022.

MoneyPlanned is simplifying goal-based financial planning & investments for 400+ Million urban earning Indians.

Nearly 85% of Indians miss their life goals due to lack of financial awareness & literacy. Although we all make investments, at the end of the day, we have no clarity about whether or not we can ever achieve our financial goals.

Unlike other personal finance apps filled with thousands of confusing investment options, MoneyPlanned focuses on helping users achieve their life goals optimally. Beginners and busy working professionals can plan & invest their money without having to worry about monitoring the market or juggling between multiple apps. Your goals are taken care of through a world-class planning experience.

In less than five minutes, MoneyPlanned builds a personalized & globally diversified portfolio best suited for the user and his/her goals.

The start-up boasts of $600 Million worth goal AUM being tracked by over 100,000 users. They are witnessing a 100% MoM growth and aim to reach 1 Million registered users by December 2022.

Together, the co-founders of MoneyPlanned, Nikhila and Sameer have authored a patent titled “System and Method for assisting users in financial planning” which aims to fully automate and personalise the financial planning experience using emerging tech like AI, ML and Blockchain. Their motto is to build the best experience in financial planning and investing for everyone.

Click here to start your financial planning journey with MoneyPlanned.

Sameer’s Journey as an Entrepreneur

When he was just 13 years old, he built a high-end computer graphics game all by himself for a school project.

While he was a student at BITS Pilani (Pilani), he tried his hands at trading stocks with his stipend from tutoring.

By the time he turned 23, he single-handedly built a full-stack application for holistic financial planning, which is now helping more than 1000,000 active subscribers set their goals on autopilot.

Such is the curiosity and ambition of this young entrepreneur, Sameer Shashank, the Founder and CEO of MoneyPlanned.

Being a Certified Financial Planner (FPSB Board, USA), a Certified Product Manager as well as an avid coder - he strives to merge the worlds of finance, product & technology.

“Financial Planning should be a basic commodity and not a luxury. The supply demand for great financial advice is heavily skewed in India, with less fifteen hundred financial planners to serve a population of 300 Million Earning Individuals in need for it. Only technology can bridge that gap and we are riding the next wave of revolution in personal finance with MoneyPlanned”, said Sameer.

Prior to MoneyPlanned, Sameer worked at Reliance Industries & TATA Motors. It was during his stint at corporate world that he realized his calling was to be an entrepreneur creating massive and lasting impact. He quit his job to pursue his dream of making India financially planned. 

As the CEO of MoneyPlanned, Sameer drives the vision and product strategy of the company.

Nikhila’s Journey as an Entrepreneur

Born in a family of bankers and wealth RMs, Nikhila has been both intrigued and smitten by personal finance. As a 16-year old, she assisted her parents & relatives in picking stocks in the equity markets and developed a profound inclination towards investing.

When asked about what made Nikhila join her partner, Sameer Shashank, as the Co-Founder in building the financial planning start-up MoneyPlanned, she said:

“Growing up, I remember my mother’s clients coming home to seek financial advice. I have seen how lack of proper planning has devastated even well-to-do families and I’ve also witnessed how prudent planning helped people prosper beyond their dreams. This made a strong impression on me. I realised very early on how important expert financial guidance is to live a happy life. I wanted everyone, no matter how much they earn and who they are, to access that kind of expertise with extreme ease through MoneyPlanned”

Nikhila is certified by SEBI and National Stock Exchange in Financial Planning, Investment Advisory and Wealth Management. Prior to MoneyPlanned, she worked as Head of Marketing at various start-ups. She is among the Top 20 women entrepreneurs pan-India selected in Blume Ventures Lead Tribe Cohort-2 and Top 40 women leaders to receive the Shenomics Fellowship in 2020. 

When asked about what keeps her going on their mission to make India financially planned, Nikhila remarked:

“When we receive a message or testimonial from our thousands of users who achieved their goals by investing on MoneyPlanned, we know that we are doing the right thing. Every week thousands of users are investing with MoneyPlanned and our goal is to create a revolution in the way money is planned and financial goals are achieved. We are just getting started and the best is yet to come.”

As the Chief Growth Officer at MoneyPlanned, Nikhila handles business partnerships, marketing and legal aspects of the company.

MoneyPlanned is in advanced talks to raise a fresh round of funding from new investors and VCs. The new funds will be utilised for expanding the team across functions, launching a unique financial planning experience that replaces in-person advisory for young India as well as introducing more investment offerings.