Uncap logo

Data-focused Investment Platform That Removes Bias

In 8 months, Uncap received a product that was used to collect and process funding applications.

Uncap cover

The company and product

Unconventional Capital's idea is bringing investment opportunities to early-stage companies in Sub-saharan Africa, which has an estimated $90 billion gap in funding.

To bridge that gap, and to help equalize opportunities, Uncap connects investors with local business owners.

To make sure that the process of financing is as fair as possible, Uncap leverages a unique, data-based process of screening applicants. The model focuses on each founder's entrepreneurial potential, and with this approach, it enables cutting bias out of the investment process.

Client’s feedback

Uncap logo

Esther Ndeti

INVESTMENT LEAD AT UNCAP

Esther Ndeti

A comprehensive approach

We worked with Monterail to develop a comprehensive platform that powers the entirety of Uncap’s operations — from the application process, through the evaluation and due diligence to portfolio support & performance monitoring.

The Challenge

From an idea to a ready-to-use product.

When Uncap contacted us, they had an expertly-documented idea for the project that outlined the rules and requirements of processing the applications, choosing the most promising ones, applying data-focused screening, and managing the investment rounds (both from the investor and the business-owner perspective).

They also had a set of initial designs for the platform. They needed, however, a technical partner that could quickly develop the product.

Key challenges of the project included:

  • Translating business vision into a digital product.

  • Defining constraints, and the most optimal delivery workflow.

  • Finding the most efficient way of implementing numerous third-party integrations that the platform requires.

Uncap data-focused investment platform

The process

1.
Workshops after each milestone to prioritize and structure development.
2.
Close collaboration with Uncap to understand and cover edge cases.
3.
Understanding business needs to advise on necessary modules to be developed.
1.
Workshops after each milestone to prioritize and structure development.
2.
Close collaboration with Uncap to understand and cover edge cases.
3.
Understanding business needs to advise on necessary modules to be developed.

The Process

As we worked on the delivery of the product, some of the initial assumptions had to be changed.

We discovered edge cases and restraints that allowed us to fine-tune the product, and that required additional development. These new discoveries resulted in increased complexity of the application but thanks to an agile approach to development, we were able to create a product that caters both to stakeholders and end users.

We started the cooperation with a workshop that allowed us to define what exactly should be done in the first place. We repeated this practice after reaching each milestone, which gave us 3 workshops in total.

The workshops we did after each milestone allowed us to agree on the priorities and next steps in the development. Uncap kept providing us with designs that we applied to the live product. Initially, Uncap wished to develop only the dashboard that would allow both investors and business owners to track the financial aspects of the investments. During development, however, we agreed that a module for collecting applications is also necessary.

We kept delivering the required pieces until we delivered a working product.

This is how we made it happen:

  • Workshops after each milestone allowed us to prioritize and structure development.

  • Close collaboration with Uncap allowed us to communicate edge cases and agree on the necessary extensions in the development.

  • Understanding business needs, we were able to advise on necessary modules to be developed.

Uncap data-focused investment platform

The Outcome

In 8 months, Uncap received a product that was used to collect and process funding applications.

Using the platform, Uncap was able to secure over 4,500 applications. As of December 2021, Uncap is preparing to finalize the first round of funding and release another round of application collection.

They are also looking to increase the automation and data-centricity of the whole screening process.

The success of this project hinged on the following factors:

  • Understanding business vision and working with Uncap to deliver a platform that fulfills it.

  • Workshops that helped to structure development and the client’s responsiveness allowed us to release some of the smaller features on the same days they were requested.

  • Technical expertise that allowed us to efficiently translate business requirements into a working product.

Team’s voice

Monterail logo

Tomasz Zmarzły

Project Manager

Tomasz Zmarzly

Partnership and agility

Our goal was to prepare a web application in accordance with initial assumptions, which were precisely formulated. These assumptions evolved as we continued to work on the project, and thanks to close cooperation with the Uncap Team and an agile approach, we were able to adapt quickly. Cooperation with Uncap was exemplary and thanks to a partnership approach, and we managed to achieve success together.

Marcin Stanisławski  |  Head of Business Development

I'm here to gather your requirements, answer all your questions, and push your idea into development as fast as possible.

Marcin Stanisławski | Head of Business Development

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