Opportunity
SylvaCap came to VectorOne with a unique vision of developing a platform, called Pick 5, that gamified the stock market and promoted financial literacy. An educational component of Pick 5 could be leveraged by business schools to promote investing skills. SylvaCap wanted users to be able to pick a portfolio of stocks and create games based on the stock market that were simple and engaging.
The platform would allow minimal trades and showcase a leaderboard and a rating system so that contestants knew how their trades were performing. Operationally the contest would be supported by investor advertisements within the platform’s newsfeed.
STRATEGY
As a first step, VectorOne collaborated with partners to bring SylvaCap’s vision to life by designing storyboards that illustrated the desired contest environment for Pick 5. The development team selected AWS architecture for its scalability and flexibility. To ensure the security of contestant data, secure login mechanisms and redundancy safeguards were implemented.
On the functional side, the platform was integrated with a stock API service to display real-time stock ticker metrics. A leaderboard-style results dashboard was also created, allowing contestants to easily compare their performance with other users, an essential component of the gamification strategy. After finalizing the platform components, VectorOne developed a functional mockup that helped SylvaCap secure funding and investor interest. Before the public launch, a beta group contest was hosted to demonstrate the platform’s capabilities.
Several technological components were essential to delivering a seamless user experience and engaging features within the Pick 5 platform. VectorOne established a secure connection and integration with Intrinio to access financial information and real-time market data. Auth0 was implemented to provide secure contestant login functionality, ensuring user data protection and peace of mind.

The platform also integrated with two additional APIs, Alpha Vantage and IEX, to support different aspects of stock data functionality. For advertisers, affiliate marketing code tracking was embedded and connected to Google Analytics, enabling performance monitoring and optimization based on real-time user engagement metrics.
TECHNOLOGY
Several technological components were key to the frictionless user experience and engaging features within Pick 5. The VectorOne team created a secure connection and integration with Intrinio for financial information and market data. Auth0 was chosen for secure contestant login functionality, giving users peace of mind.
Two different APIs for components of the software were used — Alpha Vantage & IEX. For advertisers, the platform incorporated affiliate marketing code tracking that tied into Google Analytics, providing key optimization and performance data.
