This talk will walk through how we graduated a hackathon project into a fully built out feature on multiple platforms without breaking speed. I'll focus on the process we implemented for getting a hack production ready fast; building in delightful front end loaders to cover for a less than performant backend. Also walk through how we applied a framework that combines Mixpanel funnel analysis and A/B testing via a homerolled tool with pre-existing user research to quickly make decisions on what capabilities to export to native platforms. The presentation will include examples of trade-offs made and frameworks used to choose a path forward, as well as roadblocks met and how we overcame them Catherine Cornell, Director of Product, Invest, Stash

1. Catherine Cornell | Director of Product
Moonshot Hackathon:
Innovation At Speed

2. Stash is pioneering
the future of personal
finance by uniting
investing, banking,
and education into
one seamless
experience.

3. 4 million investors
+$1 billion in AUM
$28 at a time

4. Hackathons

5. Hackathons are an accelerant for
innovation; but a boost of fuel without a
steering wheel is bad.

6. Why hackathons:
● Foster collaboration
● Cross skilling
● Spark innovation
● Employee retention

7. Empathize Strategize Ideate Build Measure Learn
Start hacking
here
Hackathons intentionally subvert the
traditional product lifecycle.

8. There are a few types of hackathon
projects
● The personal crusade
● The roadmap item
● The crowd pleaser
● The moon shot

9. First time investors lack the education and
confidence to make their first purchase.

10. 78% of Stashers had a portfolio volatility higher
than their target range.
Those that did make a purchase, usually didn’t
make the best choice for themselves.

11. Simplify the initial investment
experience through
● personalizing a portfolio based on
the Stasher’s risk level
● empowering the Stasher to add
and remove investments from
the portfolio
● explain how and why the
customizations impact the overall
portfolio
The Mission

12. Create a Reading-Rainbow
robo-advisor

14. Start here

17. Portfolio builder is a learning by doing experience that walks users through
building their own diversified portfolio.

18. Winners!

19. Production

20. Canary A/B test results:
● Number of Invest Buys
○ New users: +24%
○ Cautious users: +20%
● Distinct ETF Buys (a proxy for portfolio health)
○ New users: +38%
○ Cautious users: +31%
Portfolio builder encouraged Stashers to get started
at a higher rate, and invest smarter.
Source

21. We out here.
Empathize Strategize Ideate Build Measure Learn

22. Source
Mixpanel analysis
● Once users got to the portfolio screen, very likely to
convert. Need to drive users there more quickly.
● Only 27% of users who converted attempted to
customize their portfolio.
Quantitative

23. Empathize Strategize Ideate Build Measure Learn

25. A/B tests on native
weren’t winners.

26. Empathize Strategize Ideate Build Measure Learn

27. ● All users indicate that this tool makes them feel either
Confident or Very Confident in their investments post
using Portfolio Builder.
● “How does the recommended set of ETFs reflect a
moderate risk? What does each ETF actually mean? How
did Stash select how much money to put into one ETF
over another?”
● “How do I know this is good for me to buy and not just
wants good for Stash for me to buy?”

28. Once people see [portfolio builder] and
try it out, they are highly engaged. But we
need to get them to that first step. It might
be challenging to communicate that value
prop before they actually see the
experience.

29. Lessons

30. Portfolio builder paired with Lessons
intro:
● Portfolio Builder conversion
○ +16.6%
Source
Build trust and confidence in Stash.

31. A hackathon helped launch us over the
initial hurdles of building an ambitious
moonshot feature quickly; but in our speed
we lost the course of why Stashers wanted
this feature.

32. Empathize Strategize Ideate Build Measure Learn
● How to get a giant check
○ Shoot for the moon

33. Thank you!