After more than 1.5 years of long days and short nights, we finally went to market today in Germany. An insanely great feeling.
To celebrate, we’d like to take you on a bit of a journey through time and tell you about how it all started. There is also a short outlook on how things will continue.
Early February 2020: Our co-founder and former stock analyst Fabian asks himself why investing money is still a topic that very few people deal with. In addition, nearly 3 trillion euros are lying around, more or less useless in German checking, savings, and deposit accounts with low interest rates and rising inflation. This ultimately leads Fabian to develop a financial investment that is as simple and flexible as parking money in a bank account. When Fabian meets Jack Dorsey, he decides to implement the idea.
End of February 2020: At a carnival party in Cologne, Fabian talks to his long-time acquaintance, Kerstin, about the basic concept of combining a simple yet sensible financial investment with a flexible payment option. Over the following weeks and months, the two exchange ideas intensively and decide to work on it together.
August 2020: Kerstin and Fabian meet Sebastien in Berlin, who, at the time, was still the technical lead at FinTech Klarna. As a born Frenchman, he is put off by the German bureaucracy, but if there is such a thing as love at first sight in the startup world, then there was definitely a spark between the three of them, and he decides to co-found.
January 2021: The foundation of UnitPlus InnoInvest GmbH is officiated at the notary.
April 2021: After the first round of financing and the establishment of a very experienced team, the Aion Bank, headquartered in Belgium, is chosen as a partner bank. This victory is celebrated in the team, which, at that time, was not yet in our beautiful Prenzlauer Berg office but in a co-working space.
October 2021: After many iterative steps, our product designer Andrés created the UnitPlus card design.
Minimalist basic features are combined with graphic accents in the form of holographic arrows that embody growth. There is also a focus on sustainability (as with investing, by the way): The UnitPlus card is made of recycled plastic.
January 2022: The basic structure of the app is ready. The aim is to implement the best and most innovative combination of smart investment plus smart payment. In addition, the four professional UnitPlus portfolios are set up. We think every portfolio is equally great, so we didn’t miss the opportunity to write a 23-page whitepaper on the investment process, which is available for free download on our website.
End of March 2022: The Family & Friends test phase begins with many testers putting our app, investing, and payment through their paces. The app’s soundness is perceived as very sporty and progressive.
14 April 2022: The world’s first card transaction with an ETF portfolio occurs. Six donuts with cinnamon and sugar were purchased for 17€ from the positive return. Even if inflation is evident in the high prices, the donuts were tasty, and we have no regrets. 😎
May 5, 2022: Boom! UnitPlus goes live with nearly 10,000 people on the waiting list. The world’s first investment account app that combines easy investing with flexible payments launches in Germany.
And now?
What the future holds is largely in our own hands. International expansion? Very well possible. Product-side enhancements? Definitely! The further development of UnitPlus into a PayPal for investment? Sounds good. Creating a digital currency for the capital markets? The sky’s the limit!
But we also want to hear from you: What do you want us to do? Do you have a specific idea in which direction UnitPlus should develop? Write to us at: hallo@unitplus.eu.
As the German writer Hermann Hesse once said: “There is magic in every beginning.” The UnitPlus magic begins today.