Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST), is a leading fintech operating in the United States as a lending platform. Together, with its subsidiaries, Upstart Holdings operates a cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) lending platform in the United States. The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in San Mateo, California. By mid-2022 the company had originated more than $28.6 billion in loans with more than 75% of them fully automated.
The company’s mission is to enable effortless credit based on the true risk of the individual. The business is built on the belief that access to credit is fundamental to unlocking opportunities and upward mobility. With 80% of Americans having never defaulted on a loan, the 48% approval rate is far too low. Upstart’s own testing shows its system produces 75% fewer defaults at the same approval rate and approves upwards of 170% more loans with the same default rate as compared to the US largest lenders.
The platform works by aggregating consumer demand for loans and connecting them with its network of AI-enabled bank partners. The company facilitates loans for home improvement, automobile refinancing, personal use, and others. The AI-powered underwriting system goes beyond the FICO score to assess the true risk of the borrower. The AI-powered system actually learns over time as well, making the system faster and safer for both the borrower and the lender.
Lenders can enhance their businesses by partnering with Upstart Holdings. The all-digital AI-enabled lending platform will increase loan requests, and approvals, and increase customer satisfaction at the same time. Automobile retailers can also benefit from the program by offering Upstart-powered financing solutions at the point of sale or within their omnichannel experience.
Upstart has worked diligently with regulators since its founding to ensure it remains compliant with regulations and safe for consumers. In 2017 it became the first to receive a No Action Letter from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The purpose of the No Action Letter is to prevent unnecessary legal actions from impeding a business that offers benefits to consumers.
Upstart Holdings was founded by Dave Girouard, Paul Gu, and Anna M. Counselman. The three have extensive backgrounds in AI, the internet, and finance and serve as the company’s CEO, chief technology officer, and operations chief