GrowthPath: a mutual fund app that helps distributors in smaller towns serve clients the way big-city advisors do
A mutual fund distribution network had hundreds of distributors in smaller towns serving first-time investors, mostly on paper forms and phone calls. We built GrowthPath: a distributor app for client onboarding and transactions, goal-based plans in local languages, a client app for tracking SIPs and automated portfolio reviews — putting professional tools in every distributor's pocket.
Forms, photocopies and first-time investors
GrowthPath's network head managed distributors across small towns in central India. Most clients were first-time investors — shopkeepers, teachers, farmers with some savings — who trusted their distributor personally. Transactions still involved paper forms, photocopies of documents and cheques carried to an office.
Distributors wanted to offer the goal-based advice their clients deserved, but they had no tools beyond a calculator and a brochure.
“Our distributors know their clients' families. They just don't have the tools city advisors have.”
A day with a distributor
We spent days with distributors visiting clients. Conversations were in Hindi, about concrete goals — a daughter's education, a shop expansion, a wedding. Clients wanted to understand simply how much to invest and what they would have. Onboarding stalled on document collection and physical signatures.
- Goal planning in Hindi, in simple numbers
- Paperless onboarding with digital signatures
- One place to see every client's investments
- Reminders for reviews and missed SIPs
Goals first, funds second
The distributor app starts with the client's goal. Enter the goal, amount and timeframe, and GrowthPath shows a monthly SIP and a simple projection with conservative assumptions, clearly labelled. The distributor then recommends funds from the network's approved list. Onboarding and SIP registration happen digitally with consent, e-signatures and mandate setup.
Clients get a simple app showing their goals and SIPs, and distributors get alerts when SIPs bounce or reviews are due.
The team
Integration with transaction platforms and registrar data was the core engineering work.
Distributor research and network launch.
Hindi-first goal planner and client app.
Distributor and client apps.
Transaction platform integration and onboarding.
Registrar data consolidation and alerts.
6 people in total, working as one team.
Decisions we made
Agreed with the network head and compliance officer.
Direct-to-investor or distributor-led?
- Direct app for investors
- Distributor-led with a companion client app
Our call: Distributor-led with a companion client app. First-time investors trusted their distributor. The app strengthened that relationship instead of bypassing it.
How to present projections?
- Optimistic single number
- Conservative ranges with clear labels
Our call: Conservative ranges with clear labels. Projections must not mislead. Ranges and labelled assumptions kept advice honest.
Paper or digital onboarding?
- Paper forms
- Digital KYC, e-signature and mandates
Our call: Digital KYC, e-signature and mandates. Digital onboarding removed the biggest delay and the need to carry documents.
Which funds to show?
- All funds
- The network's approved list
Our call: The network's approved list. An approved list kept recommendations consistent and compliant.
Every feature, module by module
Everything that shipped for distributors, clients and the network.
- 01Goal planner
Goals, amounts and timeframes in Hindi.
- 02SIP calculator
Monthly amounts with conservative projections.
- 03Digital onboarding
KYC, e-signature and bank mandate.
- 04Transactions
Lumpsum, SIP, switch and redemption.
- 05Client book
Every client's holdings and goals.
- 06Goals and progress
Progress toward each goal.
- 07SIP tracker
Upcoming and past SIPs.
- 08Statements
Account statements and tax documents.
- 09Contact my distributor
Call or message in one tap.
- 10SIP bounce alerts
Distributor notified immediately.
- 11Review reminders
Periodic review prompts per client.
- 12Goal milestone notifications
Progress updates to clients.
- 13Portfolio review summaries
Simple review summaries for meetings.
- 14Distributor management
Registrations, codes and hierarchies.
- 15Approved fund list
Maintained centrally.
- 16Business dashboards
SIP book, assets and growth by distributor.
- 17Commission reports
Earnings per distributor.
- 18Role-based access
Network admins, distributors and clients.
- 19Audit trail
Transactions and consents recorded.
- 20Registrar data pipeline
Holdings consolidated daily.
Launch
We launched with a group of experienced distributors who then trained others at regional meets. Paperless onboarding was the feature distributors demonstrated to each other most.
- Weeks 1–2Discovery
Days with distributors and clients.
- Weeks 3–5Design
Goal planner tested in Hindi.
- Weeks 6–14Build
Apps, onboarding, transactions and data pipeline.
- Weeks 15–16Pilot distributors
Experienced distributors onboarded.
- Weeks 17–18Network launch
Regional training meets.
What we learned
Speak the client's language — literally and conceptually. Goals in Hindi resonated where fund names did not.
Equip the trusted intermediary. The distributor relationship was the asset; the app made it stronger.
- React Native
- Next.js
- NestJS
- PostgreSQL
- Mutual fund transaction platform APIs
- Registrar data pipelines
- AWS Mumbai
