The situation
India's alternative investment landscape is transforming — fractional ownership reached $5.4B in 2020 and is projected at $8.9B by 2025. SEBI's 2024 SM REIT guidelines formalised the space. Most platforms focus narrowly on real estate. The opportunity was a multi-asset platform spanning startups, solar assets, artwork, and other alternatives with lower ticket sizes for India's growing retail investor base.
The client was running entirely on offline operations — manual paperwork, phone-based communication, and zero digital infrastructure. JWS created the original PRD, chose the tech stack, designed all UI/UX, and has delivered 3 phases.
The problem
- No digital platform — entirely offline with manual paperwork and phone-based investor communication
- No monitoring system for evaluating and managing asset classes long-term
- Complex KYC, escrow, and digital signing handled manually with high dependency costs
- Competitive market demanding superior UX for retention but no structured design approach
- No automated marketing or customer acquisition — all outreach manual
What we built — three phases
Phase 1 established the core marketplace: multi-asset discovery, digital KYC, escrow integration, and the investor dashboard. Phase 2 added the marketing automation layer, UX refinements from long-term research, and affiliate programmes. Phase 3 (in progress) adds smart contracts and a mobile app.
- Multi-asset marketplace — startups, solar, artwork, and other alternatives with low minimum tickets
- Real-time portfolio management — returns, maturity dates, performance across all holdings
- Digital KYC and onboarding — automated verification reducing onboarding from days to minutes
- Escrow and digital signing integration — secure, paperless transactions
- Marketing automation — affiliate lead generation and ICP targeting
- UX research-driven iteration — long-term studies driving measurable retention improvements
- AIF registration support — regulatory documentation and audit trail management
The outcome
3× customer engagement increase and 70% transaction volume growth — both measured post-launch.
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Investment process | Offline, phone-based | Seamless digital platform |
| KYC and signing | Manual paperwork | Automated digital processing |
| Asset discovery | Word-of-mouth | Multi-category marketplace |
| Portfolio tracking | Spreadsheets | Real-time investor dashboard |
| Transaction volume | Limited by process | 70% increase |
| Engagement | Low retention | 3× improvement |
