Iris Invest is a social stock market application that enables users to connect their brokerage accounts, share real-time trades and portfolios, and engage in collaborative investment discussions. The platform aims to democratize investing by fostering a community-driven approach, allowing users to follow and replicate the investment strategies of peers and influencers. By integrating social features into the investment process, Iris Invest seeks to make investing more accessible, transparent, and engaging for a new generation of investors.
Key Strategic Focus
Iris Invest's strategic focus centers on creating a social investing platform that emphasizes community engagement and transparency. The application integrates with major brokerage accounts, including Robinhood, TD Ameritrade, Fidelity, and Webull, enabling users to share their investment activities seamlessly. Key features include real-time trade sharing, portfolio tracking, and group discussions on stock opportunities and market trends. The platform targets retail investors, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, who are early in their investing journey and value social interaction in financial decision-making.
Financials and Funding
As of June 2021, Iris Invest had facilitated over $175 million in investments and tracked more than $4.1 billion in trades across 4,700 connected portfolios. The company successfully raised $766,898 from 1,325 investors during a funding campaign that closed on January 1, 2022. Prior to this, Iris Invest secured pre-seed funding from Incline VC and Path VC, raising over $650,000, including contributions from friends and family. The capital raised is intended to support product development, user acquisition, and the expansion of platform features.
Technological Platform and Innovation
Iris Invest distinguishes itself through its proprietary social investing platform, which integrates with multiple brokerage accounts to provide a seamless user experience. The application employs advanced data analytics to offer insights into user trading behaviors and market trends. Privacy controls are a key feature, allowing users to share holdings and trades in percentages without disclosing dollar amounts. The platform's design emphasizes user engagement, incorporating elements of social media to foster a collaborative investing environment.
Leadership Team
- Brian Schardt, Co-founder and CEO: Brian's entrepreneurial journey began in high school with the creation of Inova Sound, a successful violin manufacturing business. He later led PwC's technology startup branch, New Ventures, developing customized derivative trading tools for major clients. His passion for the stock market and desire for transparent investment discussions led him to co-found Iris Invest.
- Aditya Lingampally, Co-founder, COO, and CFO: Aditya has been passionate about investing since winning a stock market trading competition in the 7th grade. Previously, he was a Principal with Oliver Wyman, specializing in financial management consulting. His insights on technology and AI have been published in the Harvard Business Review and the World Economic Forum.
- Chris Josephs, Co-founder, Growth: Chris holds a Bachelor's degree in Finance and Marketing from Villanova University. After working in the finance industry, he founded a sports compression company, gaining expertise in brand storytelling and strategic partnerships. He leads Iris Invest's growth initiatives.
- Aaron Langley, Co-founder, Engineering: Aaron has a background in Liberal Arts with a focus on Math and Philosophy. He spent three years leading the development of large-scale consumer and business-facing IoT products before joining Iris Invest to lead engineering efforts.
- Scott Schardt, Co-founder, Engineering: Scott is dedicated to transforming the retail trader's engagement with the market. As a founding engineer at Iris Invest, he is passionate about building a quality product that enhances user experience.
Competitor Profile
Market Insights and Dynamics: The retail investing market has experienced significant growth, with over 150 million retail investors in the U.S. as of June 2021. This surge is driven by technological advancements, increased market accessibility, and a growing demand for social and collaborative investing platforms.
Competitor Analysis: Iris Invest operates in a competitive landscape alongside platforms like Commonstock, Finary, and Wolf Financial, which also offer social investing features. Indirect competitors include social brokerages such as Robinhood, eToro, and Public.com. Iris Invest's key differentiator is its brokerage-agnostic approach, allowing users to connect multiple brokerage accounts and engage in social stock-market conversations across platforms.
Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships
Iris Invest has established partnerships with finance and lifestyle influencers, including @InTheMoney, @Litquidity, @TrustFundTerry, @ScottySire, and @TikStocks, to promote the platform and drive user acquisition. These collaborations have been instrumental in achieving a blended customer acquisition cost of less than $1 per user, with 60% of growth attributed to organic referrals and 40% to influencer promotions.
Operational Insights
Iris Invest's brokerage-agnostic platform provides a distinct competitive advantage, enabling users to connect various brokerage accounts and participate in a unified social investing experience. The emphasis on privacy controls and user engagement positions the company favorably in the market, appealing to a demographic that values transparency and community in investment activities.
Strategic Opportunities and Future Directions
Iris Invest plans to introduce "Iris Autopilot," a feature allowing users to allocate a portion of their portfolio to automatically copy trades from top-performing investors on the platform. Additionally, the company is exploring subscription services for market research and community analytic insights, similar to offerings like Robinhood Gold. These initiatives aim to diversify revenue streams and enhance user engagement.
Contact Information
- Website: iris.finance
- Social Media:
- Twitter: @irisfinance
- Instagram: @iris.finance
- LinkedIn: Iris Finance
Please note that the information provided is based on data available up to July 2025 and may be subject to change.
