/Companies

Bamboo

YC W20

Lagos, NG · Founded 2019 · 14 employees · 31 known investors

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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

FintechB2BNigeriaAfricaPartly Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W20)

Bamboo was founded in 2019 by Richmond Bassey and Yanmo Omorogbe.

RBRichmond Bassey
Richmond BasseyFounderCEO of Bamboo at Motley Fool Ventures
YOYanmo Omorogbe
Yanmo OmorogbeCo-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Investors · 31

HoaQlisted by HoaQ$25K – $350K

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Chandaria CapitalreportedNairobi

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

FcmbreportedLagos

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

for Africas FuturereportedSeattle

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Norrsken AcceleratorreportedStockholm

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Outlierz VenturesreportedCasablanca

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Raise Impact Technologiesreported

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Samurai Africa Fundreported

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Sewu K. Steve Tawiareported

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

V8 Capital PartnersreportedLagos

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Also in the syndicate · 1

Michael Seibel

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

$15M disclosed across 1 of 3 rounds · 2022

Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

Bamboo 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 reported
Brokerage account protectionJan 2026$500K
Cumulative trades processedJan 2026$600M
Fixed Returns annual yieldJun 20267%
Ghana launch waitlist signupsJan 202250,000 users
Google Play downloadsJan 20261,000,000 downloads
IOS App Store ratingJan 20264.1 out of 5 (989 ratings)
Minimum investmentJan 2026$10
Number of tradable stocks offeredJun 20263,500 stocks
Registered usersJan 20261,200,000 users
Share of deposits from repeat depositorsJan 202185%
Share of users who are active daily tradersJan 202220%
Share of users who had never traded stocks beforeJan 202275%
Team sizeJan 202614 employees
Transaction commissionJan 20221.5%
UsersJan 2022300,000 users

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

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Companies working in the same space as Bamboo.

Timeline · 8

launches, deals, and filings
Jun 2026
Product range includes NGX stocks, Fixed Returns, treasury bills and naira savings

Bamboo'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.

source ↗

Jun 2026
Licensed by Nigerian SEC as a digital sub-broker

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.

source ↗

Jan 2022
Planned expansion to Ghana and other African markets

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.

source ↗

Jan 2022
Bamboo raises $15M Series A co-led by Tiger Global and Greycroft

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 ↗

Jan 2022
Brokerage partnership with DriveWealth LLC

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.

source ↗

Aug 2021
CBN accuses platforms of operating without licences; accounts frozen

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.

source ↗

Apr 2021
Nigerian SEC declares activities of foreign-securities investment apps illegal

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.

source ↗

Jan 2020
Bamboo investment app launched in Nigeria

Bamboo, a fractional U.S. stock investing app, launched in January 2020 in Nigeria.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure
Bamboo Global, Inc.

In the news

▸Research sources · 8

primary sources listed

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, Future Africa, Greycroft, HoaQ, Ingressive Capital, Kairos Angels and 22 more.
How much funding has Bamboo raised?
Bamboo has disclosed $15M raised across 1 of its 3 known rounds.
Where is Bamboo headquartered?
Bamboo is headquartered in Lagos, NG.