Tip'd Off

Tip'd Off was a financial technology company that developed a social investing community aimed at empowering millennial investors. The company was founded in 2014 by CEO Akshay Oberai, COO Rahul Sethuram, and CTO Ankush "Koosh" Saxena. The founders, having witnessed the 2008 financial crisis, identified a need for a transparent, social media-style platform where users could discuss market trends, share investment strategies, and learn from one another. Rahul Sethuram brought a strong engineering background from his time at Tesla Motors and NASA, while Akshay Oberai had prior entrepreneurial experience, co-founding a software company at age 21 and working in business development for a cybersecurity firm. The idea for Tip'd Off originated from a Google spreadsheet that Saxena used to track his trades, which he then shared with friends for collaboration.

The platform was designed to cater to a range of users, from beginners to seasoned traders. It allowed individuals to link multiple brokerage accounts for a consolidated portfolio view, practice with "paper trading" to simulate investment strategies without financial risk, and follow the real-time trades and discussions of other users. This model was intended to democratize the investment process, creating a collaborative environment where users could build a portfolio based on collective knowledge rather than relying solely on traditional financial analysts. The business targeted the growing number of millennials interested in the stock market but who were often hesitant due to a lack of trust and familiarity. By using a familiar social networking format, Tip'd Off aimed to make investing more approachable and transparent.

The company announced its beta launch in December 2014 and by the spring of 2015, it had raised $1.35 million and accumulated a waitlist of over 5,000 users. Tip'd Off was acquired in 2015 for an undisclosed amount. Following his time at Tip'd Off, Akshay Oberai went on to co-found Unanimous Capital, a venture capital firm.

Keywords: social investing, financial technology, stock market community, millennial investors, peer-to-peer investing, investment transparency, portfolio sharing, paper trading, trading simulation, fintech startup, Akshay Oberai, Rahul Sethuram, Ankush Saxena, investment education, collaborative finance, social trading, financial networking, retail investing, stock tips, market movements, brokerage integration, investment platform, Silicon Valley startup