Upgrade, Inc. Closes $62 Million Series C Round

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Upgrade, Inc. announced today that it closed its Series C round of financing led by CreditEase Fintech Investment Fund. The new financing will fuel Upgrade's continued product innovation on the heels of the recent launch of its Personal Credit Line and the expansion of Credit Health, Upgrade's credit monitoring and education product. 

"The new capital will enable continued investments in product, credit analytics, compliance, risk management and expansion of our San Francisco, Phoenix, Montreal and Chicago offices," said Renaud Laplanche, co-founder and CEO of Upgrade. "We are seeing a growing desire from consumers to better understand their overall credit situation and to learn to make great financial decisions that give them access to more affordable credit. This encourages us to keep building responsible consumer credit products that fit these trends."

Upgrade's recently launched Personal Credit Line is designed to combine the low cost, fixed rate and monthly amortization of personal loans with the flexibility and utility of lines of credit typically obtained through credit cards. The monthly balance turns into an installment loan that teaches customers the discipline of paying down the principal every month over two, three or five years.  The Upgrade platform has facilitated over $1 billion in originations of affordable consumer loans since inception.

"We are very proud to be leading this round. We believe Upgrade will grow into a mainstream consumer credit brand that is dedicated to helping consumers better understand their credit and encourages responsible credit behavior and we are excited to be part of the journey," said Anju Patwardhan, Managing Director at CreditEase, who will be joining the Upgrade board.

Upgrade has raised $142 million in equity capital since inception in 2016. This $62 million Series C round includes the conversion of all previously issued convertible notes. All major existing investors including Apoletto, FirstMark Capital, NOAH, Ribbit, Sands Capital Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, Union Square Ventures and Vy Capital participated in the Series C round.

About Upgrade
Upgrade is a consumer credit platform that combines access to affordable credit with credit monitoring and education tools to help consumers better understand their credit and unlock their credit potential. Upgrade employs over 300 team members and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with an operations center in Phoenix, Arizona and technology centers in Chicago, Illinois and Montreal, Canada. Upgrade does not facilitate loans to residents of Connecticut, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont and West Virginia. All loans originated through the Upgrade platform are issued by WebBank, Member FDIC. More information is available at: https://www.upgrade.com/

About CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund
Founded in February 2016, CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund ("CEFIF") is a venture fund investing in FinTech companies globally. CEFIFI has an equivalent of USD 1 billion in the total committed capital. The Fund was recently ranked the 3^rd "Most Active Fintech VC Fund" globally by CB Insights and also nominated for "Top Fintech Equity Investor" Award at LendIt USA Annual Conference. www.cefintechfund.com

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SOURCE Upgrade, Inc.

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http://www.upgrade.com