+ Stock option plan
Offering responsible credit to mainstream consumers
Be an early applicant
Offering responsible credit to mainstream consumers
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
+ Stock option plan
1001+ employees
To help our customers move in the right direction with responsible financial products that put more money in their pocket.
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To help our customers move in the right direction with responsible financial products that put more money in their pocket.
Few candidates hear
back within 2 weeks
18% employee growth in 12 months
Most credit cards don't encourage the owner to pay down their debt. The longer it takes to pay off the balance, the more money lenders are set to make. Upgrade is an online lender and card issuer doing things differently. The company offers personal loans and credit cards but with a fixed instalment structure and a set number of equal payments. This ensures the balance reduces every month.
The company believes this model reduces default rates, as borrowers are forced to pay down rather than maintain their debt, and it encourages a greater commitment to repay the balance. Further, by combining the ease of a Visa card with the fixed payments and decreased rates of a personal loan, Upgrade sets itself apart from competitors.
In 2021, Upgrade launched its mobile banking and debit card as a strategy to onboard new customers and increase loyalty. The fixed-rate nature of the company's cards is expected to be of use to customers in future years in an environment of rising rates. Upgrade also plans to expand beyond the U.S. in the future, which will represent new challenges for the business as it adapts to alternative regulations.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Nov 2021
$280m
SERIES F
Aug 2021
$105m
SERIES E
This company has top investors
Renaud Laplanche
(Co-Founder & CEO)After an MBA at London Business School, Renaud spent 5 years as an Associate at Clearly Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and co-founded MatchPoint. They then left Oracle after a year to co-found Lending Club in 2006 and co-founded Upgrade in August 2016.
Adelina Grozdanova
(Co-Founder & Head of Investor Group)Adelina started their career with 6 years at Morgan Stanley after a degree at Princeton. They left banking in 2012 to join Lending Club as VP, and after 3 years co-founded Upgrade, serving as Head of Investor Group since 2016.
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