Copenhagen-headquartered global financial e-learning business Female Invest has acquired Danish online trading platform Gaia Investments for an undisclosed sum.
The financial literacy company was founded in 2019 by Camilla Cloëtta Falkenberg, Anna-Sophie Hartbvigsen and Emma Due Bitz in a bid to “close the financial gender gap” and democratise investing “for everyone”. Female Invest is a subscription-based global community where women looking to invest can find resources to help them make informed decisions.
The deal means that, from 1 December 2022, the Gaia app will be discontinued. As part of the acquisition, Gaia Investments’ chief technology officer, Mads Sverre Willumsen, will move across to Female Invest.
Gaia said on social media: “We set out to build Gaia with a vision of creating a new financial system that aligned people, planet, and profit. That’s also what Female Invest is working towards and so we couldn’t imagine a better new home for Gaia.”
Launch
The acquisition of Gaia Investments will also see the financial education business launch its own platform called Female Invest Trading in due course.
Female Invest’s trading platform website – which is yet to be rolled out – describes it as a “one stop shop for responsible investing, with everything from personalised learning, to intuitive and inclusive investing, as well as industry-leading sustainability ratings”.
In a LinkedIn post, the trio of founders said: “Today, we have paying members across 89 countries and we receive an overwhelming demand for trading from our users. We’ve always been guided by demand from our community, so acquiring Gaia’s trading platform was an easy decision.
“The team behind Gaia have built an impressive trading platform, with a strong focus on sustainability and ethics – something that strongly aligns with our vision for the future of Female Invest. This acquisition will bring down development time significantly and allow us to launch when the timing is right.
“Three years ago, no one believed in the idea to engage more women in the world of investing. Today, we believe the demand speaks for itself.”
