BENGALURU: With India’s mutual fund investor base crossing 55 million, the time is ripe to rethink how wealth management is delivered, says Prateek Jindal, founder and CEO of fintech startup PowerUp Money.
His company aims to simplify investing for everyday Indians and bring personalised financial advice into the mainstream.
“Access is no longer the problem. The real opportunity lies in bridging the advice gap,” Jindal said in an interview. “With the right mix of data, design, and empathy, we can make mutual fund investing truly effortless for every Indian.”
PowerUp Money is part of a growing breed of wealth-tech players trying to help India’s expanding base of self-directed retail investors make smarter decisions. Jindal believes most investors today are not lacking willingness to invest — what’s missing is guidance after the first SIP or lump sum goes in.
“People don’t know if they’re investing correctly. Portfolios get neglected for years, often underperforming quietly. What’s needed is timely, trustworthy advice that builds confidence as well as wealth,” he said.
PowerUp’s focus is to deliver that through a fully digital, do-it-yourself platform built around mutual funds. Its offerings include Power Mutual Funds, a free tool that reviews portfolios in seconds, and PowerUp Elite, a 999-a-year membership for comprehensive guidance without the traditional AUM-based fee model.
The company has chosen to stay away from equities, crypto or alternative assets. “Mutual funds are the most effective and reliable way to build long-term wealth in India. They offer professional management, diversification, SEBI oversight, and transparency. And anyone can start with just 100,” said Jindal.
SIP inflow at Rs27,269cr
He pointed out that SIP inflows touched an all-time high of Rs27,269 crore in June 2025, suggesting that Indian investors are staying the course even amid volatility. With the mutual fund industry expected to double to Rs150 lakh crore in assets by 2030 and the investor base poised to cross 10 crore, he sees huge potential ahead.
A key pillar of PowerUp Money’s model is trust, built through transparency. The platform is a SEBI-registered investment advisor, ensuring that its advice is unbiased and free from distribution commissions.
Its in-house research engine tracks over 20 years of fund data, simplifying fund evaluation through a clear rating system that classifies funds as in-form, on-track, off-track, or out-of-form.
For India’s “cash-rich but time-poor” investors, the app offers features like Power Rank-based fund selection, rolling return comparisons, and quarterly tax-efficient rebalancing.
The company is also betting on technology to scale personalisation. Its backend algorithms simulate real-life investor behaviour across SIPs, redemptions and market cycles. According to early tests, users who followed its advice have seen 3 to 7 percent higher returns than average.
PowerUp Money plans to introduce mutual fund transactions directly in the app and expand to managed portfolios for those seeking expert-led services. Its long-term vision is to become India’s go-to platform for wealth management, starting with mutual funds and eventually including other assets.
“In the next three years, our goal is to serve 10 million users and help them build long-term wealth with the clarity and discipline of the top one percent,” said Jindal.
