Careers at Upstart

Mission

Upstart’s mission is to provide financial fitness for all.

History

Upstart is a progressive online money-lending marketplace founded by three enterprising individuals in 2012 namely, Dave Girouard, Paul Gu, and Anna Counselman, all former employees of Google. The Company currently has its headquarters in San Carlos, California.

Upstart is not your conventional money borrowing company; the Company uses a criterion that is unlike any other in order to determine one’s credit worthiness. As opposed to the usual FICO score calculations, which refers to a person's credit score calculated using the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) software, Upstart relies on indicators such as schools attended, academic performance, area of study, and work history to determine one’s potential for loan repayment.

Upstart’s unique predictive model, created primarily by Paul Gu, gives the Company an edge over other credit companies because it points high-quality borrowers who may have otherwise been unqualified due to factors such as limited credit and work experience. Upstart also does not discriminate on a basis of purpose of the funds, one could borrow from the Company for any reason, be it school fees, repayment of student loans, credit card payoffs, capital for starting a business, et cetera.

On August 2012, Upstart landed $1.75 million in seed funding and received a further $5.9 million in April 2013 in its Series A funding led by Khosla Ventures, and other technologically-focused venture capital firms such as Collaborative Fund and Founders Fund, among other investors. On October 2014, the Company received $10.5 million in its Series B funding and on July 2015, a further $35 million was received in its Series C funding led by Third Point Ventures, Khosla Ventures, First Round, and Collaborative Fund.

The Company’s renegade borrowing model has quickly gained popularity with borrowers, opening possibilities for people who would have otherwise been left out in the cold by conventional lending firms. The Company shows no signs of slowing down in growth and currently has an annual revenue of $2.5 million and an employee base of roughly 200 employees and counting.