Bokra, an Egypt-based fintech startup, recently secured a $4.6 million pre-Seed round led by DisrupTech Ventures and SS Capital, among other investors. The infusion of funds will be utilized to launch the Bokra app, broaden the spectrum of investment products offered, and expand its operational footprint across the MENA region.
Why the Investors Invested
- Growing demand for alternative investment solutions: The demand for alternative investment solutions has reached unprecedented heights due to remarkable returns, making Bokra’s launch perfectly timed (Mohamed Okasha, founder and managing partner at DisrupTech Ventures).
- Innovative use of investment instruments: Bokra’s innovative use of investment instruments, coupled with its best-in-class management team, poises it to impact the lives of millions of Egyptians (Mohamed Okasha).
- Experienced management team: The management team possesses accumulated expertise spanning up to 120 years in financial technology and the non-banking financial sector, making them well-equipped to disrupt the industry (Ayman El-Sawy, founder and CEO of Bokra).
- Mission to democratize wealth management: Bokra’s mission to democratize wealth management and empower retail and SME investors resonates with the investors’ goals (Ayman El-Sawy).
- Potential for financial inclusion: Bokra’s efforts towards raising investment awareness and promoting a culture of smart investing have the potential to include the 67% of the population that remains unbanked (Mohamed Okasha).
- Scalability and growth potential: The funds will be used to geographically scale operations across MENA, offering a huge growth potential (Samer Sallam, Chairman of SS Capital).
- Transformative potential: Bokra’s dedication to empowering youth through its financial products has the potential to create a lasting impact on wealth management in the region (Samer Sallam).
DisrupTech Ventures is a venture capital investment firm founded in 2021 and based in Giza, Egypt. The firm actively seeks to invest in early-stage tech startups operating in fintech and fintech-enabled digital services, with a primary focus on Egypt.
A Look at Bokra:
Founded in 2023 by Ayman El-Sawy, Bokra operates in the fintech sector, with its headquarters based in Cairo, Egypt. The startup’s core mission revolves around democratizing wealth management by offering goal-based investment and savings products through asset-backed securities. Bokra’s primary target markets include retail and SME investors across the MENA region.
Essentially, here is how they operate:
- Personalized and balanced financial and investment planning: Bokra offers personalized and balanced financial and investment planning across different asset classes, built upon asset-backed securities.
- Fractional ownership: Bokra enables users to manage and grow their wealth through fractional ownership of diverse products.
- Comprehensive questionnaire: Users answer a comprehensive questionnaire to determine their risk appetite, investment tenor, and monthly contribution amount.
- Portfolio matching: Based on the user’s inputs, they are matched with a portfolio containing a mix of instruments that align with their goals.
- Scenario playing: The Bokra app features scenario playing, allowing users to measure the yields of their monthly contributions.
- Dashboard tracking: The app provides a dashboard for users to systematically track and remain on top of their financial goals.
Bokra recognizes the following pain points faced by retail and SME investors:
- Lack of Personalized Investment Planning: Traditional approaches lack tailored investment strategies.
- Fragmented Asset-Class Applications: Existing platforms struggle to offer seamless asset-class investments.
- Opaque Fee Structures: Investors seek transparency in fee calculations.
- High-Value Physical Assets: Bokra simplifies investing in valuable physical assets.
The Bokra app is slated for launch in Q2 2024.