Bamboo
YC W20Lagos, NG · Founded 2019 · 14 employees · 15 known investors
Bamboo is an investment platform that enables users in Africa to invest in U.S. stocks, ETFs, real estate investment trusts, and other asset classes with minimum investments starting at $10. The platform serves retail investors seeking wealth-building opportunities across multiple markets with a focus on accessibility and security.
Also known as Bamboo Global, Inc. · Bamboo Inc · Invest Bamboo
Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W20)
Bamboo was founded in 2019 by Richmond Bassey and Yanmo Omorogbe.
Investors · 15
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Bamboo is a Lagos-based digital brokerage and retail investment platform that lets users in Africa buy and trade securities from a mobile app. Its core offering is access to U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs through fractional investing, alongside U.S. real estate exposure via REITs, Nigerian equities listed on the NGX, dollar-denominated Fixed Returns products, treasury bills and naira savings. The company markets a minimum investment of $10 and positions itself as lowering entry barriers for individuals who previously needed an asset manager and an international broker to access global capital markets.
Onboarding is designed to be paperless: Nigerian users register with a National Identification Number (NIN) and contact details, fund a dollar or local-currency balance, and begin trading. Bamboo's app listings state that trades and positions are protected by SIPC and FINRA coverage up to $500,000, and the company says brokerage accounts are held at top-tier local and U.S. brokerages. The help centre states Bamboo is licensed by Nigeria's Securities and Exchange Commission as a digital sub-broker and partners with SEC-licensed investment managers, which manage the assets underlying Fixed Returns while Bamboo supplies the technology layer.
As of the material reviewed, Bamboo reports 1.2 million+ users and more than $600 million in processed trades, with over 1 million Android downloads and a 4.1-star average across 989 iOS ratings. Y Combinator lists the company as active with a team size of 14.
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 · 8
by search overlap
Companies competing with Bamboo for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 8
launches, deals, and filingsBamboo's help centre and website describe a product range spanning U.S. stocks and ETFs, U.S. REITs, NGX-listed Nigerian stocks, dollar-denominated Fixed Returns of up to 7% annual returns managed by SEC-licensed asset managers, treasury bills and naira savings.
Bamboo states it is partnered with SEC-licensed investment managers and is licensed by the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission as a digital sub-broker.
Bamboo said Ghana was its next market, citing over 50,000 users on its waitlist, with demand also noted from Kenya and South Africa. It also said it was awaiting regulatory approval to offer Nigerian stocks before Q2 2022.
Bamboo announced a $15 million Series A round co-led by U.S.-based Greycroft and Tiger Global, with participation from Motley Fool Ventures, Saison Capital, Chrysalis Capital and Y Combinator CEO Michael Seibel. Proceeds were earmarked for scaling technology infrastructure, faster withdrawals, a B2B product for asset managers and fintechs, and expansion beyond Nigeria.
$15M source ↗
Bamboo operates as a brokerage and retail investment app through a partnership with DriveWealth LLC, allowing Nigerian users to open accounts in minutes and trade U.S. stocks in real time.
The Central Bank of Nigeria accused Bamboo and peer platforms of operating without asset-management licences and using FX sourced from the Nigerian market to purchase foreign bonds and shares, obtaining a court order to freeze their accounts for six months pending investigation. Bamboo's CEO confirmed the company later received a court order to unfreeze its accounts.
Nigeria's Securities and Exchange Commission declared the activities of digital investment firms trading unregistered foreign securities illegal and warned capital market operators to stop working with them; Bamboo was among the platforms affected.
Bamboo, a fractional U.S. stock investing app, launched in January 2020 in Nigeria.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Bambooinvestbamboo.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Bamboo do?
- Nigerian investment app giving Africans access to U.S. stocks, ETFs, REITs, NGX shares and dollar fixed-income from $10.
- Who founded Bamboo?
- Bamboo was founded by Richmond Bassey, Yanmo Omorogbe in 2019.
- Who are Bamboo's investors?
- Bamboo's investors include 2080 Ventures, Ajim Capital, Expansion Venture Capital, Greycroft, HoaQ, Ingressive Capital, Motley Fool Ventures, Rebel Fund and 6 more.
- Where is Bamboo headquartered?
- Bamboo is headquartered in Lagos, NG.