Uncovering Root Causes

We began with a product discovery process to understand the drivers behind slowing growth. We identified two key issues:

• The core issue was a split focus: the company was attempting to serve both adult investors and teens through the same product platform, despite the vastly different use cases, needs, and expectations. This stretched the team thin and diluted their product-market fit (PMF).
• The product offering—particularly for adult users—had not kept pace with the modern brokerage market. For example:
  • Stockpile still used end-of-day trading for fractional shares, while competitors had moved to real-time execution.
  • They continued charging commissions per trade even as the broader market adopted commission-free models.

Analyzing PMF Across Segments

We ran a series of analyses to evaluate where the product had the strongest product-market fit. Our findings highlighted a clear opportunity in the custodial space:

• Custodial accounts had 4x higher activation rates, significantly better retention, and higher lifetime value than adult individual accounts.
• The teen/parent segment remained under-served in the broader market, presenting a strategic opportunity for differentiation.

Strategic Pivot & Stakeholder Alignment

We made a case for focusing the company’s energy on the teen investing experience. This pivot would:

• Allow Stockpile to shift from a commoditized brokerage offering into a learning-first investing platform for teens and the next generation of investors.
• Unlock new monetization paths—such as a membership model—aligned with their value proposition.
• Enable them to sunset the underutilized web platform, freeing up resources to double down on the new strategy.

We worked closely with stakeholders and leadership to socialize these insights and secure alignment on the pivot.

Execution Support

Once the new direction was clear, we helped the team execute:

• Planned and executed the sunset of the web platform and reallocation of resources.
• Defined a clear roadmap to shape the teen-focused product experience with initiatives including:
  • Redesigning the mobile app to improve usability
  • Improving custodial account onboarding
  • Launching crypto trading to boost value for younger users
  • Transitioning to a membership-based monetization model to extend the company’s runway

We collaborated with product, design, engineering, and leadership teams to bring this roadmap to life.

The results of our collaboration reflected a clear shift in traction, product focus, and business performance:

• Custodial account conversion increased by 85%
• Launched a fully redesigned mobile app optimized for teens
• Released the first crypto trading product for teens
• Achieved a 7x increase in monthly recurring revenue

The new strategy, paired with an extended runway, enabled Stockpile to fully commit to its new mission: educating the next generation of investors through hands-on learning.