Daba: Social Investing for Africa

Bringing a world where daily investors both big and small have access to verified startups in the fastest growing investment continent on the planet

Daba is a social investment gateway that connects global investors with the African tech ecosystem. The platform enables users of all backgrounds to navigate and invest in high-growth markets with confidence.

The platform solves these barriers by providing a social investment hub where users can access verified startup listings, expert strategies, and real-time market insights. Most importantly, it leverages social engagement between investors to provide the community-driven validation and assurance needed to commit capital.

Role

Product Designer

Client

daba

Duration

6 months

Year

2020

Website

dabafinance.com
Quick Read
Full Case Study

Problem Statement & Research Synthesis

Through a deep-dive market analysis and user interviews, I identified a critical friction point: The Trust Deficit. Individual investors, particularly in the diaspora, are eager to participate in Africa’s high-growth tech sector but are paralyzed by "data fog" and a lack of transparency. This disconnect prevents vital capital from reaching vetted startups while leaving investors without a secure entry point.
The Core Challenges & Constraints
  • The Credibility Gap: Users fear fraudulent opportunities and require social validation or "expert tips" before committing their funds.
  • Information Asymmetry: Emerging market data is often fragmented, so investors struggle to find centralized, real-time insights to track their portfolio's performance.
  • Intimidating Barriers: Complex investment flows and a lack of educational resources make the ecosystem feel "experts-only," alienating new investors.

Strategic MVP Scoping

Synthesizing my research, I defined a focused Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to address the "Trust Gap" without overextending the project scope. By prioritizing high-impact features like vetted listings and social validation, I ensured a secure, controlled experience that solves core user frustrations while maintaining a clear path for future scalability.

Onboarding with a Discovery First Approach

I redesigned the entry experience to be mature and human, moving away from a rigid wall of requirements. In this new flow, users only need to complete the bare minimum to open an account and start exploring the platform. This allows them to get a genuine feel for the app's potential and explore vetted opportunities before being asked to complete their full profile for active investing.

The Home Page as an Investor’s Daily Pulse

I condensed the dashboard into a high-signal "command center" designed to keep investors in sync with the African market’s heartbeat.

By synthesizing real-time news, community-vetted opportunities, and personal watchlists into a single view, I ensured that critical information is never more than a glance away.

This layout moves beyond mere data display, empowering users to track growth trajectories and act on social proof with professional-grade speed.

Portfolio Tracking for Unified Asset Management

I developed a comprehensive tracking system to solve the fragmentation users face when managing investments across multiple platforms.

By allowing investors to import and monitor external stocks and startups alongside their Daba holdings, the app becomes a singular, high-utility dashboard.

This eliminates the friction of switching between tools, providing a holistic view of their wealth and growth in real-time.

Portfolio Tracking for Unified Asset Management

I developed a comprehensive tracking system to solve the fragmentation users face when managing investments across multiple platforms.

By allowing investors to import and monitor external stocks and startups alongside their Daba holdings, the app becomes a singular, high-utility dashboard.

This eliminates the friction of switching between tools, providing a holistic view of their wealth and growth in real-time.

Curating Transparent Investment Opportunities

To strip away the "data fog" surrounding African startups, I designed an opportunity marketplace centered on radical transparency.

Each listing is backed by verified legal documentation and pitch decks, while a personalized "Percentage Fit" score helps users instantly identify how a deal aligns with their specific risk profile and goals. This data-rich approach empowers investors to move past guesswork and commit to high-growth ventures with professional certainty.

Exploring the African Tech Ecosystem

I designed the Explore page as a discovery engine that categorizes the vast African market into digestible, high-signal interests. By grouping investments, news, and top investors into specific sectors like Fintech or Agriculture, users can bypass information overload and navigate directly to the opportunities that align with their personal investment thesis.

Leveraging Social Proof for Better Decisions

To combat the isolation and "trust gap" of traditional investing, I integrated a social layer that mirrors the successful community dynamics seen in crypto-twitter.

By making investor engagement visible, users can see what their peers are discussing and backing in real-time. This transparency provides the communal validation necessary for new investors to move from observation to action with confidence.

Democratizing Knowledge through Live Discussions

I architected a space for real-time interaction where startup founders and market experts host live audio talks to educate the community.

These scheduled events transform Daba from a static marketplace into an active educational hub, allowing investors to hear directly from the people building the companies they are funding. This direct line of communication further strips away the "data fog" and builds a lasting bridge of credibility between founders and backers.

Democratizing Knowledge through Live Discussions

I architected a space for real-time interaction where startup founders and market experts host live audio talks to educate the community.

These scheduled events transform Daba from a static marketplace into an active educational hub, allowing investors to hear directly from the people building the companies they are funding. This direct line of communication further strips away the "data fog" and builds a lasting bridge of credibility between founders and backers.

Simplifying Sophisticated Trading Strategies

I streamlined the stock investment experience by distilling complex financial maneuvers, like recurring buys and trailing stop orders, into intuitive, visual flows. By providing automated tools and clear strategic guidance, the platform enables both novice and seasoned traders to maximize their returns without the typical steep learning curve. This approach removes the intimidation factor of public markets, allowing users to execute professional-grade trades with total clarity.

Real-Time Access through Live Investing

To create a more urgent and direct connection between founders and backers, I architected a "Live Investing" feature for scheduled pitch sessions.

This interactive environment allows startups to present their vision directly to a live audience of investors who can indicate interest and commit funds on the spot. By facilitating this immediate line of communication, Daba moves beyond traditional static listings to become a dynamic, high-stakes marketplace where deals happen in real-time.

Bridging the Intelligence Gap with Tiered Reporting

I designed a dual-layered reporting system that serves as the foundation for informed decision-making. By offering both exhaustive data for power users and curated summaries for quick evaluation.

I ensured that every investor can digest the history and health of an opportunity at their own pace. This expert-led approach strips away the "data fog," replacing hesitation with the clarity needed to invest confidently.

Bridging the Intelligence Gap with Tiered Reporting

I designed a dual-layered reporting system that serves as the foundation for informed decision-making. By offering both exhaustive data for power users and curated summaries for quick evaluation.

I ensured that every investor can digest the history and health of an opportunity at their own pace. This expert-led approach strips away the "data fog," replacing hesitation with the clarity needed to invest confidently.

Incentivizing Success through Portfolio Indices

To guide unsure investors, I architected a "Portfolio Index" feature that transforms individual strategy into a collaborative asset. Users can build or follow diversified plans across multiple startups and stocks, using proven blueprints to balance their own capital. This social-driven incentive model rewards expert creators while providing newcomers with a secure, guided path to portfolio growth.

Discovery and Market Immersion

To build a product that moves the needle, I began by immersing myself in the nuances of the African tech landscape, where startups raised over $4.3 billion in recent years.

This phase wasn't just about identifying growth; it was about diagnosing the "why" behind investor hesitation, specifically the Trust Gap caused by limited access to vetted data and concerns over market transparency.

Synthesizing Evidence-Based Insights

I took a deep dive into existing research and observed interviews with 32 candidates, ranging from YC investors to novices, to gain a visceral understanding of the user connection.

The findings were clear: investors felt "scared" by negative news cycles and lacked a centralized hub for real-time market intelligence. I synthesized these Interview Responses into actionable design pillars.

Learning from the Market

This wasn’t just a feature checklist; it was a search for friction. The red markers throughout this analysis highlight the "pain gaps" moments where the competition's UX fails the user, which served as the primary North Star for our design phase.

Evidence-Based User Insights

I synthesized qualitative research from 32 candidates, including YC and Venture Capital investors, to pinpoint the psychological barriers to entry. The feedback revealed that investors felt "scared" by fragmented information and negative news cycles, leading to four defining pillars for our MVP strategy:

Long-Term Wealth Creation

Since 63% of users are long-term holders, the experience had to prioritize sustainable growth tracking over high-frequency trading.

Unified Asset Management

With 72.4% of users managing their own portfolios, I designed a centralized dashboard to eliminate the friction of juggling multiple platforms.

Informed Decision-Making

Insights showed that news and word-of-mouth drive most trades, which I translated into a "daily pulse" feed and social validation layers.

Mitigating Systemic Risk

To address concerns regarding political instability and transparency, I architected a system backed by vetted data and expert-led reporting.

Defining Our Core Users

These weren't just profiles, they served as a living compass for the team, allowing us to step into the users' shoes and advocate for their specific goals, frustrations, and behaviors at every stage of the design process.

About

Ola an African living in the united states, is a self-motivated investor who started investing when she understood the effects of compound interest. Her motivation for investing is to build wealth and ultimately reach financial freedom so she doesn’t have to rely on a 9-5 job. She is an overall long-term holder

Pain Points & Hesitations

  • Startups she has invested in were because she was connected to the founders. It can get frustrating when founders stop giving updates which is a bad sign
  • Hesitant with investing in startups because of political issues in Africa and inexperienced founders.

Goals & Needs

  • Slow and steady wins the race. But does add risk to her portfolio so she's  looking for safe investments
  • Stay up to date on investing in Africa since she is from there
  • Healthy return on interest

Pain Point

  • Unable to transfer her assets to friends or other addresses
  • Unable to properly know the state of her crypto transactions when she sends them form other wallets
  • Have to wait long hours for some transactions

About

Emma is an African American born in Chicago. He got introduced to investing when he heard how much his friend makes and this served as a big source of motivation for him. He is willing to sell investments after a good return has been gained but is overall a long-term holder

Pain Points & Hesitations

  • Hesitant to invest in Africa because of news of corruption in certain countries.
  • Lack of understanding of the ecosystem
  • The word risk comes frequently when she talks about Africa
  • He doesn't know where to start from

Goals & Needs

  • Get investing opportunities in Africa
  • Get investment information regarding African investments so he can stay up to date
  • Prioritize social impact when investing
  • Health ROI would be nice

Strategic MVP Scoping

Synthesizing my research, I defined a focused Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to address the "Trust Gap" without overextending the project scope. By prioritizing high-impact features like vetted listings and social validation, I ensured a secure, controlled experience that solves core user frustrations while maintaining a clear path for future scalability.

Onboarding with a Discovery First Approach

I redesigned the entry experience to be mature and human, moving away from a rigid wall of requirements. In this new flow, users only need to complete the bare minimum to open an account and start exploring the platform. This allows them to get a genuine feel for the app's potential and explore vetted opportunities before being asked to complete their full profile for active investing.

The Home Page as an Investor’s Daily Pulse

I condensed the dashboard into a high-signal "command center" designed to keep investors in sync with the African market’s heartbeat.

By synthesizing real-time news, community-vetted opportunities, and personal watchlists into a single view, I ensured that critical information is never more than a glance away.

This layout moves beyond mere data display, empowering users to track growth trajectories and act on social proof with professional-grade speed.

Portfolio Tracking for Unified Asset Management

I developed a comprehensive tracking system to solve the fragmentation users face when managing investments across multiple platforms.

By allowing investors to import and monitor external stocks and startups alongside their Daba holdings, the app becomes a singular, high-utility dashboard.

This eliminates the friction of switching between tools, providing a holistic view of their wealth and growth in real-time.

Portfolio Tracking for Unified Asset Management

I developed a comprehensive tracking system to solve the fragmentation users face when managing investments across multiple platforms.

By allowing investors to import and monitor external stocks and startups alongside their Daba holdings, the app becomes a singular, high-utility dashboard.

This eliminates the friction of switching between tools, providing a holistic view of their wealth and growth in real-time.

Curating Transparent Investment Opportunities

To strip away the "data fog" surrounding African startups, I designed an opportunity marketplace centered on radical transparency.

Each listing is backed by verified legal documentation and pitch decks, while a personalized "Percentage Fit" score helps users instantly identify how a deal aligns with their specific risk profile and goals. This data-rich approach empowers investors to move past guesswork and commit to high-growth ventures with professional certainty.

Exploring the African Tech Ecosystem

I designed the Explore page as a discovery engine that categorizes the vast African market into digestible, high-signal interests. By grouping investments, news, and top investors into specific sectors like Fintech or Agriculture, users can bypass information overload and navigate directly to the opportunities that align with their personal investment thesis.

Leveraging Social Proof for Better Decisions

To combat the isolation and "trust gap" of traditional investing, I integrated a social layer that mirrors the successful community dynamics seen in crypto-twitter.

By making investor engagement visible, users can see what their peers are discussing and backing in real-time. This transparency provides the communal validation necessary for new investors to move from observation to action with confidence.

Democratizing Knowledge through Live Discussions

I architected a space for real-time interaction where startup founders and market experts host live audio talks to educate the community.

These scheduled events transform Daba from a static marketplace into an active educational hub, allowing investors to hear directly from the people building the companies they are funding. This direct line of communication further strips away the "data fog" and builds a lasting bridge of credibility between founders and backers.

Democratizing Knowledge through Live Discussions

I architected a space for real-time interaction where startup founders and market experts host live audio talks to educate the community.

These scheduled events transform Daba from a static marketplace into an active educational hub, allowing investors to hear directly from the people building the companies they are funding. This direct line of communication further strips away the "data fog" and builds a lasting bridge of credibility between founders and backers.

Simplifying Sophisticated Trading Strategies

I streamlined the stock investment experience by distilling complex financial maneuvers, like recurring buys and trailing stop orders, into intuitive, visual flows. By providing automated tools and clear strategic guidance, the platform enables both novice and seasoned traders to maximize their returns without the typical steep learning curve. This approach removes the intimidation factor of public markets, allowing users to execute professional-grade trades with total clarity.

Real-Time Access through Live Investing

To create a more urgent and direct connection between founders and backers, I architected a "Live Investing" feature for scheduled pitch sessions.

This interactive environment allows startups to present their vision directly to a live audience of investors who can indicate interest and commit funds on the spot. By facilitating this immediate line of communication, Daba moves beyond traditional static listings to become a dynamic, high-stakes marketplace where deals happen in real-time.

Bridging the Intelligence Gap with Tiered Reporting

I designed a dual-layered reporting system that serves as the foundation for informed decision-making. By offering both exhaustive data for power users and curated summaries for quick evaluation.

I ensured that every investor can digest the history and health of an opportunity at their own pace. This expert-led approach strips away the "data fog," replacing hesitation with the clarity needed to invest confidently.

Bridging the Intelligence Gap with Tiered Reporting

I designed a dual-layered reporting system that serves as the foundation for informed decision-making. By offering both exhaustive data for power users and curated summaries for quick evaluation.

I ensured that every investor can digest the history and health of an opportunity at their own pace. This expert-led approach strips away the "data fog," replacing hesitation with the clarity needed to invest confidently.

Incentivizing Success through Portfolio Indices

To guide unsure investors, I architected a "Portfolio Index" feature that transforms individual strategy into a collaborative asset. Users can build or follow diversified plans across multiple startups and stocks, using proven blueprints to balance their own capital. This social-driven incentive model rewards expert creators while providing newcomers with a secure, guided path to portfolio growth.

Final Reflections & Impact

Working on Daba was a masterclass in designing for high-stakes environments where trust is the primary currency. It challenged me to balance rigid financial requirements with a fluid, community-driven social experience, ensuring every pixel served a functional purpose in a high-growth market.
Key Takeaways
  • The ROI of Intentionality: I learned that in fintech, user value is measured by the speed of clarity. By minimizing the "path to value" and reducing cognitive load, we directly increased user confidence and platform stickiness.
  • Designing for Trust Deficits: Addressing the specific cultural and market anxieties of the African tech space required moving beyond standard UI patterns. Integrating social proof wasn’t just a "feature", it was a strategic necessity to overcome systemic skepticism.
  • Systemic Impact: This project transcends simple asset management. By democratizing access to startup funding, we are building a bridge for capital to flow into African innovation, which has the direct potential to alleviate poverty and stimulate job creation across the continent.

Looking Ahead: What I’d Evolve

By staying agile and prioritizing user-led intelligence, Daba is positioned to remain the definitive "operating system" for the African tech ecosystem.
  • What I’d do differently: I would explore integrating AI-driven sentiment analysis that aggregates community discussions into real-time "Trust Scores" for every listing.
  • Scaling the Social Layer: I see an opportunity to turn the "Portfolio Index" into a decentralized marketplace where top-performing strategists can monetize their blueprints, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem of expert-led growth.
  • Systemic Impact: This project transcends simple asset management. By democratizing access to startup funding, we are building a bridge for capital to flow into African innovation, which has the direct potential to alleviate poverty and stimulate job creation across the continent.
By staying agile and prioritizing user-led intelligence, Daba is positioned to remain the definitive "operating system" for the African tech ecosystem.

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