Social Media Meets Wall Street

Imagine TikTok and Wall Street had a baby. That’s Dub, the app that’s turning investing on its head by letting users copy the trades of top investors, hedge funds, and even politicians with just a few taps. Founded by 23-year-old Steven Wang, a Harvard dropout who started investing in second grade, Dub is betting big on the idea that the future of investing isn’t about picking stocks—it’s about picking people.

“The future of investing isn’t about picking stocks—it’s about picking people.”

Steven Wang, Founder of Dub

Why Dub is Exploding

Dub has already racked up 800,000 downloads and raised $17 million in seed funding. But what’s really driving its growth? It’s the perfect storm of two trends: the rise of retail investing and the power of influencer-driven decision-making. Wang saw this collision coming during the pandemic, when he was trading from his dorm room and watching Elon Musk move crypto markets with a single tweet.

• Gen Z is obsessed: Dub’s average user is 30-35, but teens are catching on fast. One 15-year-old even asked about “investing like Nancy Pelosi” after seeing Dub ads on Instagram.
• Real results: Pelosi’s portfolio on Dub is up 123%, and users have made millions copying her moves.
• Revenue from day one: Dub charges $10/month and takes a 25% cut of management fees from top portfolios.

The Robinhood Comparison

Dub is often compared to Robinhood, but Wang insists it’s different. While Robinhood made trading free, Dub is focused on education and expert guidance. The platform displays risk scores, risk-adjusted returns, and portfolio stability metrics to help users make informed decisions.

“Making it super easy to trade without expert guidance is really just gambling for the broader population.”

Steven Wang

Wang also points to Robinhood’s regulatory challenges, like ditching its infamous confetti feature ahead of its IPO. Dub, on the other hand, spent two years working with FINRA and the SEC to ensure compliance before launching.

The Critics’ Take

Not everyone is sold on Dub. Critics argue that stock picking underperforms passive investing over the long run, with most actively managed funds failing to beat the S&P 500. But Wang pushes back hard:

• Cherry-picked studies: “I bet a lot of those are sponsored by passive investing index companies,” he says.
• Hedge funds thrive for a reason: “The ultra-wealthy give their money to Ken Griffin of Citadel because he delivers consistent, non-correlated returns year after year.”

The Future of Dub

Dub is scaling fast, thanks to organic growth and aggressive Meta ads. But the real question is whether it can avoid the pitfalls of other fintech startups. Wang is confident, saying, “We didn’t just navigate regulation—we embraced it.”

So, is Dub the future of investing? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: it’s already changing the game.