Bamboo makes three key hires from tech giants Xero, Acorns and Spaceship
Australian cryptocurrency micro-investment platform, Bamboo, has recently appointed key leadership team members from tech giant Xero, as well as micro-investment platforms Spaceship and the US-based Acorns.
Bamboo has strategically recruited three team members from these companies to bolster their growth efforts and continue their exponential rate of 20% month on month user growth beyond a six-figure user base.
The key appointments prop Bamboo to have one of the strongest growth teams in the Australian FinTech industry and is indicative of a broader shift in interest towards the cryptocurrency micro-investment space – a market solely captured in Australia by Bamboo.
Josh Thillagaratnam, former Head of Digital Marketing and Sales at Xero, boasts 15 years of experience in marketing and communication with a focus on tech and FinTech. Josh will be joining the team to lead all growth efforts as Chief Marketing Officer.
Colton Dillion, former Chief Marketing Officer and Global Director at Acorns US, designed the strategy which took the landmark micro-investing app from zero to 2 million users. Colton’s immense experience in marketing a nascent offering to a mass audience will be highly valuable at Bamboo where he will join the team as a Director.
Anna Cheng, former AP Growth at Spaceship, who played a pivotal role in user acquisition and contributed to the growth of the platform’s assets under management to over $100 million within 4 months of launch, will lend her expertise in driving an Australian audience to take action as she joins the Bamboo team in an advisory capacity. Spaceship is now used by 200k+ Aussie investors and has grown to over $1 billion in assets under management.
Blake Cassidy, Bamboo CEO, explains these appointments are crucial to continuing Bamboo’s incredible momentum generated in the past year.
“Bamboo has grown their active investors over eleven times in the past nine months, and we’ve helped those users save and invest over $9 million in digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum,” said Blake.
“As we expand, we’re taking our rate of growth up a notch, and we see Josh, Colton and Anna to be pivotal in us shifting gears.
“What these three have in common is a track record of growing consumer FinTech brands into household names through clever and extremely effective marketing efforts.”
Josh Thillagaratnam says the chance to apply his skills within the digital currency sector is a welcome opportunity.
“I’ve been a big proponent of the role cryptocurrencies will and already are playing in today’s society, so to join the team at Bamboo and lead growth of the brand is the perfect fit,” said Josh.
“It’s always special to be able to work with a company that aligns so closely with your own personal ethos. And when I think about what Bamboo is offering everyday Australians and their long-term investment philosophy, it makes it that much easier to get behind the cause.”
Blake believes that the platform has the right formula, and now needs to look to scale.
“Bamboo has taken years to develop an excellent product, and we’ve seen it deliver incredible results for our users with average user returns sitting at 118% since the start of 2021. Now we need to make sure every single Australian hears about what Bamboo is bringing to the table and how we can play a part in their personal finance journey,” said Blake.
“I believe wholeheartedly we now have the team to do that.”
Bamboo is in the final stages of a Series A to fuel growth both in Australia and abroad.
The round of funding comes with the view to further build local capacity, Bamboo’s SMSF product and to launch into international markets.
