Lena Sonnen: Crowd-investment Platform for Alternative Assets Such as Super Rare Watches, Fine Wine, Whiskey and More

Konvi is the crowd-investment platform for alternative assets such as super rare watches, fine wine, whiskey and more. We are on a mission to make traditionally-exclusive asset classes accessible to everyone. Thereby, we provide a platform that makes effective portfolio diversification with these asset classes as simple as ordering a book online.

In doing so, Konvi’s app allows investors of any size to buy shares in a rare watch or a wine portfolio for as little as €250 through the principle of “fractional ownership”. In the near future, Konvi will also allow its users to invest in whiskey, art, NFTs, rare handbags or even classic cars. Thus, we at Konvi are breaking traditional barriers and open up the space for small retail investors.

Tell us about yourself?

My background is in Economics and Innovation Management, while I always had a passion for finance and marketing. Before specializing in growth strategy and business development I worked in different areas such as financial services, marketing and strategy consulting.

Before moving full-time into Konvi I worked for Facebook (now Meta) for 2 years. In my role there I worked closely with high-growth startups from hyperlocal commerce and FinTech verticals and initiated Facebook’s European Venture Capital Startup program. The work with these startups on a daily basis helped me to learn a lot and it was just amazing to transition to my own startup Konvi right after.

I have always been passionate about startups and innovation in general. I come from a family of entrepreneurs and self-starters so I was always planning to create something on my own and having an impact. So with my experience at Facebook and with the strong belief that the world needs more democratization in the investment space, I felt like its the best time to pursue Konvi.

What is the inspiration behind your business?

Starting Konvi was driven by the fact that me and my co-founders Ioana and Eran are all retail investors ourselves and realized the importance of effective portfolio diversification during the COVID stock market crash in 2020.

However, during our research we found that most effective alternatives were out of reach for retail investors. To solve this problem and create more equal financial opportunities, we developed Konvi. We strongly believe that financial investment vehicles should be accessible to every retail investor, regardless of their portfolio size.

What is your magic sauce?

Offering the highest potential returns on investments is one of our biggest priority. We do not want to make alternative assets a “gamble” investment. Therefore, we only list the rarest assets sourced mostly from the primary market to ensure the highest potential value appreciation.

Access and timing are crucial when it comes to alternative asset investing. This is why we do not buy assets that have demonstrated high returns in the past but source the next “big things” at their best price and at the best entry time.

To realize this we work with verified and world-leading investment vehicles for the different asset categories. These partners have a very impressive track record of generating more than 8-20% average historical yearly returns already for decades.

Where do you see your company going in 5 years time?

Investment behavior is changing. Retail investors are more aware of the importance of having a well-diversified portfolio to be protected in times of crises. Moreover, given low interest rates and low retirement rates, especially young generations take their finances into their own hands very early.

Konvi’s assets expand the 21st century portfolio and allow young investors to make diversified and long-term investment choices. In 5 years alternative assets on Konvi will make up 5-20% of the average investment portfolio in Europe.

What has been your biggest setback so far?

Setting up the regulatory model has been a challenge and has also delayed our first anticipated launch date by a little bit. Yet, now having the regulatory structure in place is giving us an unfair advantage that cannot be replicated super easily.

What is the next big challenge for your business?

We have big plans with Konvi and while on our mission to disrupt the alternative investment space, we will expand quickly into multiple asset classes. As of now, we are offering investments into rare watches and fine wine, while whiskey, fine art and NFTs are on the roadmap to be added soon.

Moreover, while we are making investing into alternative assets as simple as buying a book online, we will also add more exciting financial features which our users will enjoy while building their 21st century portfolio.

How do people get involved/buy into your vision?

We want to help any retail investor to build a more diversified financial portfolio, no matter their portfolio size. If you are a retail investor looking for assets to diversify your portfolio, or if you are passionate about collectibles such as rare watches, fine wine or whiskey, Konvi might be worth looking into. Download our app and start investing!