Hedge

What Hedge does

Hedge (Hedge Capital Markets Inc.) is a US-based fintech company that operates a mobile-first brokerage platform enabling both individual self-directed investing and collaborative group investing among family and friends. The company targets the 150M+ Americans it characterizes as "locked out" of traditional investing, with a particular focus on unbrokered and underserved populations who lack access to or familiarity with conventional brokerage products. Founded in 2021 by Kyle Al-Rawi (CEO) and Yash Khandelwal (CFO), Hedge distributes exclusively through the Apple App Store with self-serve onboarding that requires no accreditation and a $25 per-person minimum to participate in a group. The stated mission is to restore upward mobility to the American Dream by lowering the practical and psychological barriers to a first brokerage account.

The platform is built around two core products: Hedge Personal Portfolio (individual brokerage accounts in US-listed stocks and ETFs, with options trading available) and Hedge Groups (collaborative investing where members contribute equal amounts, submit proposals, discuss in private group chat, and vote under configurable thresholds — Simple Majority greater than 50%, Super Majority at or above 75%, or Unanimous 100%). A free Investment Growth Calculator provides deterministic compound-growth projections and is positioned as a top-of-funnel educational tool. The technology stack relies on Plaid for bank account linking, Apex Clearing Corporation for custody and clearing infrastructure, and Nasdaq for market data integration. Brokerage services are delivered through the wholly-owned subsidiary Hedge Pro LLC, an SEC-registered broker-dealer and FINRA/SIPC member, providing customers with standard SIPC protections plus up to $37.5M in excess coverage through Apex's additional insurance policy.

Hedge operates a freemium revenue model anchored on commission-free trading of US-listed stocks, ETFs, and options. Monetization occurs primarily through asset-based interest earned on customer cash balances held at partner banks, optional premium subscription tiers, and limited event-driven fees (wire transfers, paper statements). Clearing firm mandates impose a $5 minimum per trade; group minimums start at $25 per person. The company has raised seed-stage capital from a syndicate of approximately twelve investors including Startupfon, Firstminute Capital, CreatorLed, Starting Line, Dream Machine, MSV, Rose Street, Orange DAO, OnDeck, Nima, Plassa, MS&AD Ventures, and others, and currently operates with 1-10 employees. Geographic operations are limited to the United States.

Name

Hedge

Legal name

Hedge Capital Markets Inc.

Website

https://hedge.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hedge is a US mobile-first brokerage platform offering self-directed investing and collaborative group investing with voting, targeting 150M+ unbrokered Americans. Brokerage services are delivered via its SEC-registered subsidiary Hedge Pro LLC using Apex Clearing infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Asset-based Interest: Hedge earns a small percentage from banks and other financial institutions for customer assets held on the platform. This is not charged to customers directly.
2. Premium Subscriptions: Hedge offers freemium model with optional premium subscriptions providing additional features. Users can start with free tier and upgrade as needed.
3. Event-driven Fees: Limited fees for irregular or expensive requests such as paper statements and wire transfers. Most fees are optional and event-driven to cover operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hedge operates a mobile-first brokerage platform that allows individual retail investors to trade U.S. Exchange-Listed securities (stocks, ETFs, options) commission-free through a self-directed Personal Portfolio, and to form collaborative Hedge Groups with family and friends that propose, discuss, and vote on investments together. Brokerage services are provided by SEC-registered Hedge Pro LLC, with clearing and custody handled by Apex Clearing Corporation and bank account connectivity delivered via Plaid.

Product overview

Hedge is a fintech platform offering a unified investment experience with two interconnected products: Personal Portfolio (self-directed individual investing) and Hedge Groups (collaborative group investing with family and friends). Both products provide access to US Exchange-Listed securities including stocks and ETFs, with the Groups feature adding a collaborative voting mechanism for joint investment decisions. The platform also offers an Investment Growth Calculator as a supplementary educational tool. Brokerage services are provided through Hedge Pro LLC, with clearing and custody handled by Apex Clearing Corporation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hedge Personal Portfolio Self-directed brokerage account enabling individual investors to trade US Exchange-Listed securities such as equities (stocks) and ETFs with their own tax forms and full control over cash and investments. Available to US adults aged 18+ with no accreditation required.
• Hedge Groups (Group Investing) Collaborative investing feature that lets family and friends form groups, contribute equal amounts, send investment proposals, discuss them in private chat, and vote on buy/sell decisions using configurable thresholds: Simple Majority (>50%), Super Majority (≥75%), or Unanimous (100%). Each member retains separate tax forms and can exit the group without permission by moving assets to their Personal Portfolio.
• Investment Growth Calculator Free compound growth visualization tool that lets users project investment growth based on initial investment, recurring contributions, frequency, annual return percentage, and duration, comparing results against FDIC-insured bank savings rates. Available on the Hedge website as an educational resource for prospective and current users.

Quantifiable outcome

• $25 minimum investment per person in groups makes investing accessible to low-income populations
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NasdaqcoreTechnology or IntegrationMarket data provider integrated into the Hedge platform. Listed as a partner providing financial market data infrastructure.
• PlaidcoreTechnology or IntegrationFinancial infrastructure platform used for account linking and connection to bank accounts within the Hedge app.
• Apex Clearing CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationClearing and custody partner providing back-office brokerage infrastructure. Apex Clearing is a registered broker-dealer with SEC and FINRA/SIPC member that handles custody, clearing, and execution services.
• LiquiditycoreTechnology or IntegrationListed as partner on Hedge website. Provides financial infrastructure or services supporting the platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SoFi Invest: Commission-free self-directed and managed investing inside SoFi's broader financial super-app (banking, lending, credit). Direct competitor for retail brokerage with much larger product surface and balance sheet.
• Public.com: Commission-free mobile broker with a strong social/community-investing orientation (follow other investors, shared portfolios, fractional shares). Direct overlap with Hedge's group-investing thesis and GenZ audience.
• eToro: Social investing network with CopyTrader, CopyPortfolios, and group/community features for retail traders. Closest analog to Hedge's collaborative group-investing mechanics, though at significantly larger global scale.
• Stash: Subscription-based mobile investing app with low minimums and educational content aimed at beginning retail investors. Comparable on audience (entry-level, GenZ/millennial) and freemium subscription model.
• Acorns: Micro-investing app targeting first-time investors with spare-change round-ups and subscription pricing. Strong overlap with Hedge's $25 minimum and mission-driven positioning for underserved retail investors.
• Robinhood: Commission-free mobile broker targeting first-time and GenZ retail investors in the US. Closest direct competitor — same self-directed brokerage model, same target demo, but with vastly larger scale, broader product set, and stronger brand.
• Webull: Commission-free mobile broker with social/community features and active-trader tools. Comparable on commission-free self-directed US equities/ETFs/options trading and a retail-investor mobile-first product.
• Cash App Investing (Block): Embedded brokerage within the Cash App super-app, offering commission-free stock and ETF purchases with a $1 minimum. Direct competitor for unbrokered and lower-balance retail customers with strong social/payment distribution.

Emerging players

• Titan: Mobile-first investing app offering self-directed and managed thematic strategies with a community/social feed. Comparable on mobile-first GenZ positioning and managed-or-self-directed dual product approach.
• Firstrade: Commission-free mobile broker with options trading and retirement accounts. Smaller-scale US broker with overlapping commission-free self-directed model and similar mobile-first onboarding flows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Hedge_App
• Instagraminstagram.com/hedgeinvestapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hedge-investing-app

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hedge