Robinhood transformed stock trading from a cumbersome and expensive process to a free, mobile-first experience aimed at democratizing finance for everyone.

The initial waitlist for Robinhood saw over 50,000 signups in the first week and nearly a million users within the first year, marking a historic demand for a consumer finance product.

When Robinhood launched in March 2015, we converted hundreds of thousands of users from a waitlist, exceeding initial expectations of a 10% conversion rate.

Robinhood's commission-free model was crucial in removing financial barriers for new investors, particularly young people with limited funds.

Robinhood's early success demonstrated its transition from a financial services application to a culturally relevant consumer application, highlighting its unique value proposition, especially after facing multiple project failures and struggling to achieve product-market fit despite various marketing efforts before launching.

I was inspired to create Robinhood after witnessing the financial industry's negative reputation and wanting to offer a platform that genuinely helps the average investor. A lot of Robinhood customers start with as little as $10, which was a significant innovation because before Robinhood, trading fees made it impractical to invest small amounts.

Robinhood diversified its product offerings beyond equities trading, introducing retirement accounts and high-yield cash sweep balances, which attracted a broader range of customers.

Eliminating trading commissions and lowering account minimums to zero were key innovations that made Robinhood possible and allowed more people to invest.

To build anticipation for their product, Robinhood implemented a waitlist system that incentivized early adopters to refer friends, leading to rapid user growth and viral success.