Achieve
New York, US · Founded 2017 · Delaware corporation · 1,886 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
Achieve by Petra is a personal savings and investment app that lets users open an account, set financial goals, and track contributions, earnings, and withdrawals in real time. It offers goal-based saving with zero transaction fees.
Also known as Achieve app · achieve by Petra · The Achieve App
Founders & leadership
Investors · 1
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$79.4M disclosed across 2 rounds · 2017–2021
▶$75MraisedJul 2021 · 28 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Shaival Sharad ShahExecutive Officer, Director
- Joshua McFarlandDirector
- Peter FlintDirector
- Matthew HarrisDirector
- Jian Wei GanDirector
- Offering amount
- $80M
- Amount sold
- $75M
- First sale
- Jun 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2017
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$4.4MraisedFeb 2018 · 13 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Jian Wei GanDirector
- Shaival Sharad ShahExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $4.4M
- Amount sold
- $4.4M
- First sale
- Oct 2017
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2017
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Achieve (marketed as "achieve by Petra") is a mobile and web financial platform offered by Petra Securities Limited, which lists an address on Osu Badu Street, Airport, Accra, Ghana. Users open an account, subscribe to curated savings and investment products, set goals with target dates and amounts, and track contributions, earnings and withdrawals in real time. The platform advertises zero transaction fees.
The core product is DigiSave, positioned for medium- to long-term goals while retaining short-notice access to funds. DigiSave contributions are automatically invested in the Plus Income Fund, a regulated mutual fund managed by Blackstar Advisors as fund manager, with assets held at Stanbic Bank for safekeeping. Additional app functionality includes sub-accounts for budgeting, goal accounts, group investing, KYC and identity verification, mobile-money (Momo) wallet linking, deposits, and withdrawals to a bank account or Momo wallet.
A version 2.0 release announced in May 2023 introduced a user-interface overhaul, a restructured navigation (Home, Discover, More, Profile), an Employee Self-Service module tied to the achievePayroll platform (payslips, leave management, salary routing into investment accounts, standing orders, salaried loans), short-term loans, and planned insurance and pension products. Petra has been licensed by Ghana's National Pensions Regulatory Authority since 2012 as an independent pensions trustee, and the app has since added linking of Petra Pensions accounts.
Business model
Achieve distributes savings, investment, credit and (announced) insurance and pension products to retail users through a mobile app, with contributions channelled into a regulated mutual fund managed by a third-party fund manager. The company advertises zero transaction fees on the platform. It also serves employers through the achievePayroll platform and the related Employee Self-Service module.
Traction
The version 2.0 post (May 2023) cited more than 200,000 people using the app to save and invest, customer growth of more than 1,500% and monthly saving growth of more than 6,400% since the early 2020 launch, a doubling of internal team size, and sustained 4.5 App Store and Play Store ratings despite more than 5x more reviews. The Google Play listing shows 500,000+ downloads.
Latest developments
The Google Play listing was updated on 2026-08-14, with release notes citing Petra loans plus general fixes and improvements. Recent blog posts cover group investment on the app (August 2026) and the benefits of linking a Petra Pensions account to the app (July 2026).
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The app bundles multiple regulated financial products in one place — DigiSave investing, goal and group accounts, loans, payroll self-service, and links to Petra Pensions accounts — drawing on Petra's position as one of Ghana's larger independent pension trustees, licensed by the National Pensions Regulatory Authority since 2012, and advertises zero transaction fees.
Technology
Consumer mobile applications for Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store) plus a web presence, supporting account opening and KYC, sub-accounts, goal accounts with target dates and amounts, mobile-money wallet integration, bank and Momo withdrawals, real-time tracking of contributions, earnings and withdrawals, and payroll-linked employee self-service features.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer distribution through the Google Play and App Store listings and the company website, supported by a product blog; employer-channel distribution via the achievePayroll platform, which routes employees into the app for payslips, standing orders and salaried loans.
Retail savers and investors in Ghana, with the version 2.0 announcement describing millennials and Gen Z as the intended user base; employers using the achievePayroll platform and their salaried employees are also served through Employee Self-Service and salaried loans.
Geography
Operations and product context are Ghanaian: the developer, Petra Securities Limited, is listed at 217 Osu Badu Street, Airport, Accra, Ghana, and the platform references Ghana's banking sector clean-up, the National Pensions Regulatory Authority, Stanbic Bank custody and mobile-money (Momo) rails.
History
The Achieve project began in Ghana against the backdrop of the country's banking sector clean-up, when many customers had locked funds and trust in the financial system was low. The app launched in early 2020, shortly before Covid-19 lockdowns and job losses increased withdrawal pressure. A user-interface overhaul shipped in a September 2021 version 1 release, and version 2.0 was announced in May 2023 with new products including Employee Self-Service, loans, and planned insurance and pensions. Petra had been licensed as a pensions trustee by Ghana's National Pensions Regulatory Authority since 2012.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 1
by search overlapCompanies competing with Achieve for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 6
launches, deals, and filingsGoogle Play release notes for the update cite Petra loans plus general fixes and improvements.
Blog post announcing group investment, allowing users to contribute toward a shared goal with family or friends.
Blog post describing the ability to link a Petra Pensions account to the achieve by Petra app to manage retirement funds and investments in one place.
Version 2.0 introduced a UI overhaul with 3D elements and new colours, a restructured bottom navigation (Home, Discover, More, Profile), an Employee Self-Service module tied to achievePayroll, short-term salaried loans, and announced upcoming insurance and pension products.
A September 2021 release delivered a user interface overhaul of the platform.
The Achieve app launched in early 2020, shortly before Covid-19 lockdowns, targeting millennial and Gen Z savers and investors in Ghana.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Achievetheachieveapp.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Achieve do?
- Achieve by Petra is a Ghana-based mobile app for goal-based saving and investing, offered by Petra Securities Limited.
- Who are Achieve's investors?
- Achieve's investors include Microtraction.
- How much funding has Achieve raised?
- Achieve has disclosed $79.4M raised across 2 rounds.
- Where is Achieve headquartered?
- Achieve is headquartered in New York, US.