Original article taken from Seedrs here. Written by Michaela Saloman - Seedrs Campaign Support Team
It’s never been easier to travel or communicate transnationally than it is today, but investing in international markets isn’t as straight forward. Evarvest was started with the vision of simplifying global investment, so that everyday investors can share in the success of brands they believe in all over the world, no matter where their money is. We sat down with Founder and CEO Stephanie Brennan to discuss Evarvest’s mission within the investment space.
What is Evarvest’s vision, in your own words?
We want to change the way the world invests, by removing barriers to entry and providing education, to make investing easy, accessible and community-driven.
The finance industry really hasn’t kept up with the needs of modern investors the way that tech companies like Facebook, Uber and Spotify have, both in terms of convenience and cost-efficiency. Although 93% of stock market value is divided between three continents; America, Europe and Asia, access to these markets is limited and cost to entry is high. As a result, many people don’t even think about investing internationally as a way to build their wealth and save for long-term goals.
Our goal in starting Evarvest was to create an easy and efficient solution to unite the world’s stock exchanges and make them accessible to investors across the globe. Evarvest’s app will make investing as simple as having a smartphone and good WiFi – the way it should be.
What makes you personally passionate about the Evarvest vision?
I always remember my mum’s wise advice to “invest in companies people need”. I think we’ve forgotten that investing is about more than making money – it’s about backing companies that inspire you. This is evident on Seedrs, where investors get involved in businesses they believe will shape the future; investing in the stock market should be no different.
We often forget that our investments have the power to make a real impact. McDonald’s agreed to phase out its use of styrofoam cups, and Starbucks closed its gender pay gap, and both are the result of thousands of shareholders joining forces to make themselves heard by decision-makers.
At Evarvest we have a number of exciting milestones on our roadmap, including allowing investors to play an active role in the companies they invest in, all through the app. That way every investor is able to interact with the companies that matter to them, and make a positive impact where they can.
Where do you see the most growth potential in the future within your industry?
Cross-border investing – the reason is three-fold. Firstly, International financial and housing markets are already syncing. This is evident when trading on the ASX. If the US market is up over the trading day, the ASX will be too.
Secondly, consumers are increasingly favouring platforms with global reach like Netflix and Amazon. With cross-border money flows on the rise, and the ability to search for the best products online, at competitive prices, consumers are expecting the same capabilities from investment products.
Finally, the RegTech (Regulatory Technology) industry is growing alongside the fintech space and this will help to unify regulatory frameworks internationally, leading to a rise in fintechs with global reach and impact. PSD2, GDPR, KYC are just a few examples.
What are the main pillars of Evarvest’s work culture?
Our work culture hashtag is #TAIP: Transparent, Ambitious, Intelligent, Passionate. Taip is also a Lithuanian word meaning ‘yes’ and links back to Evarvest’s roots, as our HQ is based in Vilnius, Lithuania. We’re creating a Transparent, Ambitious, Intelligent, and Passionate community that’s working towards a common goal, and collectively benefits from its success.
We look for people who are entrepreneurial in spirit and want to really take ownership of their role and their part in Evarvest’s success. We also look for people that have complementary experience, so as a collective we balance each others strengths and weaknesses.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to the future generation?
Understand your end goal, as it will define the decisions you make.
If you weren’t working at Evarvest, what would you be doing?
I’d be writing blogs on investing to help others and investing, which is exactly how Evarvest started!
Please know, the value of investments can go up as well as down and you may receive back less than your original investment, meaning, when investing your capital is at risk.
Disclaimer: At Evarvest we believe in making investing and investment education more accessible, but we don’t provide investment advice and individual investors should make their own decisions. While we try our best, we cannot ensure the accuracy of the information we provide.
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