The full case study
iFunded, step by step
On this page · 10 sections
About the business
Our Client, a German startup, had an idea to create a digital real estate investment platform. They wanted to make the property investment process fully digital, accessible, and transparent for all private and institutional investors.
The platform called iFunded should let users easily participate in the development of diverse real estate projects and generate attractive returns from them. At the same time, real estate developers should be able to access alternative financing options and get a chance to gain early-stage marketing exposure to a wide investor base.
The thing with the investment solutions in Germany is that they should operate under the regulation of BaFin. So iFunded should be able to collaborate with national and international project developers to publish proven property options. Investors should be able to rely on iFunded and get guidance when they select projects. The solution should not only help with developing an investment strategy but also provide regular market updates and insights.
Project Tasks and Challenges
The main goal of our team was to create a platform that makes investing in large-scale property projects as simple and intuitive as online banking. Apart from that, we needed to focus on:
- Creating a strong, modern brand identity for iFunded to help our client gain a position as a trustworthy and innovative player in the German real estate space.
- Designing a marketing website that communicates the value and advantages of iFunded to both retail and institutional investors.
The two biggest challenges we faced were:
- to introduce a new digital product in a strictly regulated market
- to build trust around an investment model that was previously unfamiliar to the market
To succeed, iFunded should offer not only rich functionality but also a visual identity that conveys credibility, simplicity, and transparency.
The speed of development was critical for our client. They asked us to create a fully functional MVP within just a few months. It was crucial to launch it on the market and validate demand as soon as possible.
We completed this task without sacrificing product quality. And after the MVP release, we began working on scaling the iFunded platform – adding new features, improving UX, and making the architecture ready for future growth.
Project team
- 2 UX/UI Designers
- Project Manager
- Business Analyst
- 2 Front-end Developers
- 2 Back-end Developers
- 2 QA Specialists
- Solution Architect
4 months for Discovery & Design
5 months for Development & QA
Investment assets overview
This feature is a must-have for an investment platform like iFunded as it helps users with informed decision-making. So we designed a user-friendly asset overview screen that shows all crucial project data to investors in seconds. That data may include project name and location, risk profile, expected return, funding status, etc.
The layout created by our designers helps users to quickly find, compare, and sort real estate opportunities according to their preferred investment strategy. To make the process even easier and more engaging, we added visual cues such as progress bars and badges (i.e., “New,” “Fully Funded”).
Investment calculator
Built-in investment calculator is a go-to interactive tool allowing investors to estimate their potential return. By using it, they can insert parameters such as investment amount, duration, and projected yield and get all expected earnings calculations.
The calculator dynamically updates all results in real time. On top of that, it shows breakdowns of potential return, payout timelines, and can perform a comparison to similar assets. The greatest thing about the investment calculator is that its design is so intuitive that even beginner investors can use it without any guidance.
Other platform features
1. Investor Education Hub
We integrated an educational hub to help beginners and experienced investors understand the specifics of the German real estate market. It provides well-structured guidance to help investors make more informed decisions.
2. Seamless Investment Flow
The investment flow guides investors step-by-step through all the key stages, starting with deal discovery and ending with deal confirmation, with minimal friction and full legal clarity.
3. Personal Investor Dashboard
All iFunded users get access to a personalized dashboard where they can easily track distributions, monitor their deal progress, review KPIs, and manage their portfolios in real time.
4. Integrated News Feed
To make the platform more engaging and provide investors with additional information, we integrated a dynamic news section that allows users to receive weekly market updates, news and project highlights.
5. KYC & Secure Onboarding
We took special care of the registration process and made it secure, simple and compliant. There is a built-in identity verification (KYC) and automated document checking, speeding up the onboarding experience.
6. Project Details & Return Forecasts
Investors can benefit from checking a detailed breakdown of each investment opportunity. There are property descriptions, specified risk levels, documents, and visualized return projections.
7. Support for Private & Institutional Investors
iFunded offers advanced investment tools and dashboards for private and institutional users, taking each user group’s needs and priorities into account.
8. Automated Transaction & Payment Tracking
We integrated payment automation tools that help users track investment inflows and outflows, receive real-time payment confirmations, and stay updated on dividend distributions and capital returns.
Brand identity
The visual identity of the iFunded platform was created with the core values of the client in mind. The three of them were clarity, trust, and accessibility. As the first-of-its-kind investment marketplace in Germany, the brand we create should look professional and modern. But it should also be simple and user-centric to attract not only experienced, but also non-professional investors.
We created a clean, minimalist logo and developed a full set of logo guidelines to ensure consistency across digital and offline channels. The typography selected by our design team offered great readability and content focus, without any visual distractions or clutter.
The color palette used for iFunded included light gray tones to convey technological sophistication. We paired those tones with calm green tones to create clear financial associations.
Marketing website
To help our client attract early adopters and onboard them so that they can start using iFunded, we created a responsive marketing website from scratch. The idea behind the website was that it should:
- communicate the value and benefits of the platform,
- reflect the credibility of the client’s company,
- offer a seamless user experience that supports conversions.
The first step to creating such a website was conducting an in-depth audience research and defining user flows for private and institutional investors. Based on the research results, the structure of the website was optimized to seamlessly guide users through the journey.
Design-wise, we kept the interface modern and minimalistic, in line with the client’s visual identity. To ensure that the website is trustworthy, we used several design things such as strategic content placement, clear CTAs, and smooth navigation.
Development Approach
The development process was iterative and started with a Discovery phase during which we focused on:
- making business goals aligned
- discovering users’ needs and regulatory requirements
- creating user personas and clear investment flow
- prioritizing all platform features
- finalizing a product vision.
In parallel with Discovery, we started creating the design and visual identity for iFunded. It included the creation of a modern logo, design guidelines, and a minimalist UI style.
To prepare for a fast release of iFunded MVP and attract early adopters, it was critical to create a simple yet informative marketing website. Once it was ready, our team proceeded with further development and launch. We integrated a bunch of features including intuitive registration, a deal discovery, document management, secure payment options, and real-time investment tracking.
After the successful launch of the MVP, we proceeded with the further product scaling. Our goal was to expand the product’s feature set, add advanced analytics, and personalized experiences for institutional users.
We also needed to build a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. We used React Native to build it and ensure that all product components can be reused, and UX is consistent across all platforms and devices. The backend was built using Node.js and Nest.js, and deployed on AWS for cost-efficient and reliable scaling.
We also used the modular architecture to maintain clean code and ensure that all future iFunded updates can be implemented without rebuilding its core.
Outcome
Our collaboration with the client was very fruitful and ended with the successful launch of iFunded. This solution became one of Germany’s first fully digital real estate investment platforms. In half a year, we helped our client build and release a market-ready MVP that follows industry compliance. We created a strong visual identity, an intuitive UX, and integrated an advanced feature set for both private and institutional investors.
The platform’s user-centric design helped to simplify investment flow. Early adopters were able to onboard and use the platform seamlessly. We also created a marketing website that effectively supported lead conversion and investor education. To make sure that iFunded can be easily scaled in the future, we used the modular architecture.
After the MVP launch, our client achieved these outcomes:
- iFunded successfully secured its next funding round and initiated scaling
- the platform grew rapidly, and its users have already invested €90 million in property
- it helped to raise over €18 million of investor funding
And last but not least, this growth and market validation contributed to the client’s startup being acquired. They became one of Germany’s leading real estate investment groups.
