Doshi, a gamified financial education platform, has announced the successful completion of its Pre-Seed funding round, securing a total funding amount of £1 million. The funding was led by the Austrian Pre-Seed Fund Calm/Storm Ventures, with participation from notable investors including business angels Hansi Hansman, Alfred Lugar, Alex Brix, and Christian Strobl. Other investors include Launchub Ventures, APX, Danish Chaudhry, Bernhard Niesner, and Niki Stadler.
Despite the surge in interest in investing and personal finance, financial literacy remains low, leading to harmful outcomes such as investment scams and excessive risk-taking. Doshi’s app tackles this issue by providing a hands-on approach to financial education, specifically targeting young adults. By meeting users where they are and assisting them in making informed financial decisions, Doshi aims to bridge the gap in financial literacy. “Doshi meets young adults where they already are, helps and supports them to take the right (financial) decisions. We are confident that the founders, Daniel and Jaco, may be able to catch the new generation where even Neobanks fail,” said Lucanus Polagnoli, Partner at Calm/Storm.
The additional funding will be utilised to expand Doshi’s unique gamified learning experiences into financial services. With the goal of empowering financial institutions, Doshi aims to offer enjoyable and engaging bite-sized learning experiences to help members enhance their financial knowledge. Additionally, the company is developing AI-based features to personalize the learning experience, including celebrity chatskins, open-ended questions, and custom missions. “Our goal is to leverage AI to make learning about money as fun as playing a game which happens to increase knowledge and develop financial skills,” stated Jaco Koenig, CTO of Doshi.
The platform plans to launch multiple pilot programs and expand across the UK, with the initial focus on partnering with community-focused banks. “We discovered that many local banks have a vested interest in building financial literacy in their communities,” explained Daniel Rose, CEO of Doshi. “Partnering with us gives them an avenue to innovate, gain insights into their customers’ pain points, and reach younger audiences.” Doshi’s innovative approach has already yielded success in the education sector, with the company forming partnerships with over 30 schools and helping thousands of students develop financial independence at an early stage.