BambooBot
An AI-powered assistant helping African investors learn and invest with confidence.
Problem Space
Problem Statement
How might we provide AI-powered investment education to African investors to enhance confidence, improve decision-making, and increase investment engagement on Bamboo?
Problem Background
As a result, many users create accounts on Bamboo but hesitate to make their first investment due to the perceived complexity of the platform. About 70% of Bamboo's users are first-time investors, and despite initial sign-ups, a significant number still fail to activate their investments, leading to abandoned deposits. Bamboo's recent efforts, including targeted messaging and multi-channel campaigns, reduced abandoned deposits by 12%, but the core challenge persists. The primary issue remains: Many create accounts on Bamboo but hesitate to make their first investment due to uncertainty and complexity.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, interest in wealth-building and investing has surged across Africa. Foreign direct investment (FDI) to the continent more than doubled from $39 billion in 2020 to a record $83 billion in 2021, reflecting the growing appetite for financial growth and investment opportunities. Platforms like Bamboo have played a key role in this trend by providing African investors with easier access to international markets. However, despite the increasing demand for investment options, first-time investors often struggle with uncertainty, fear of financial loss, and a lack of structured guidance.
Research Insights
- Beginner investors desire guided, structured knowledge about financial products and markets.
- Users prefer interactive content and real-world examples over static articles.
- There is a demand for personalized educational paths based on investment goals and experience levels.
User Pain Points
Using Snapchat and recommendations, we identified a few different categories of prospective users and conducted over 7 user interviews:
- Many users are intimidated by stock market jargon and complex financial concepts.
- A significant percentage of users do not trust existing financial education sources.
- Some users struggle to find information that is relevant to their local economic context.
Supporting Data
- 85% of people we spoke to mentioned they were unhappy with the current investment education solutions.
- 65% of beginner investors hesitate to make their first investment due to lack of confidence.
Feedback
Our preliminary user research with first-time investors in Nigeria found that:
- They prefer learning through short, interactive modules rather than long articles.
- They need reassurance through practical, risk-free simulations before committing real money.
Landing on the Solution
Explanation of Solution
Based on our target users’ pain points, we knew we wanted to work on the following features:
- AI-powered chatbot that provides real-time explanations of financial concepts.
- Personalized learning paths tailored to individual knowledge levels.
- Gamification elements such as quizzes and rewards to increase engagement.
- Interactive market simulations to help users practice investment decision-making.
User Flows/Mockups
Future Steps
- Conduct prototype testing with target users.
- Expand content to cover more asset classes and market trends.
- Develop premium features, such as human advisor integration.
- Localize content further to address different African markets.
Link to pitch deck video
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
MIchelle Mensah
Co.Lab was a very wonderful learning experience for me. I learned the importance of iterative user research, the power of AI-driven education, and how to balance product goals with business impact. The biggest takeaway was how structured learning paths and interactive engagement can significantly improve user adoption and confidence in investing.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.