Upbound Group Closes Acquisition of Brigit, a Leading Financial Health Technology Firm
January 31 2025 - 9:12AM
Business Wire
Transaction accelerates Upbound’s growth
strategies by adding Brigit’s all-digital, scalable platform and
suite of financial wellness tools, expanding Upbound’s
technology-driven offerings of innovative and flexible financial
solutions for more consumers and enhancing underwriting
capabilities across the platform.
Upbound Group, Inc. (“Upbound” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: UPBD),
a technology and data-driven leader in accessible and inclusive
financial products that address the evolving needs and aspirations
of underserved consumers, today announced the completion of its
previously announced acquisition of Brigit, a leading financial
health technology company. The combined company has significantly
greater scale, currently serving approximately four million active
customers, including Brigit’s over one million active paying
subscribers and almost one million free subscribers.
The acquisition of Brigit expands Upbound’s platform of
innovative technology-driven financial solutions to meet a broader
range of complementary consumer needs, now also including earned
wage access and credit building products, as well as financial
wellness solutions and educational resources to help consumers
better manage, save and earn money. In addition, Brigit’s
proprietary cash flow underwriting data and tech stack are expected
to enhance Upbound’s existing brands, including Acima and
Rent-A-Center, by improving risk management and fraud prevention,
enabling more customer approvals while also mitigating net losses
and enhancing account management. Brigit co-founders Zuben Mathews
and Hamel Kothari will continue to lead the Brigit team as a
business segment of Upbound.
“Today’s acquisition of Brigit marks a significant step forward
in Upbound’s execution of its growth strategies and mission to
empower even more underserved consumers with a complementary set of
leading financial solutions that meet their needs. By combining
Brigit’s innovative technology, customer-centric approach and
talented team with our company, we are enhancing our ability to
create a more personalized customer experience and to deliver, at
the right time and through the right channels, a wider range of
targeted solutions for consumers. We are thrilled to welcome the
Brigit team to Upbound,” said Upbound’s Chief Executive Officer
Mitch Fadel.
“Joining forces with Upbound accelerates our opportunity to
serve millions of Americans left behind by traditional financial
institutions. By adding Brigit’s proprietary, machine
learning-powered cash-flow technology and suite of innovative
financial products to Upbound’s platform, we can empower those
underserved individuals to build brighter financial futures,” said
Brigit co-founder & CEO Zuben Mathews.
About Upbound Group, Inc.
Upbound Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPBD), is a technology and
data-driven leader in accessible and inclusive financial products
that address the evolving needs and aspirations of underserved
consumers. The Company’s customer-facing operating units include
industry-leading brands such as Rent-A-Center® and Acima® that
facilitate consumer transactions across a wide range of store-based
and digital retail channels, including over 2,300 company branded
retail units across the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Upbound Group, Inc. is headquartered in Plano, Texas. For
additional information about the Company, please visit our website
Upbound.com.
About Brigit
Brigit is a holistic financial health app that has helped
millions of Americans budget better, access their earned wages
before their regularly scheduled payday, build their credit through
savings, protect themselves from identity theft, and find ways to
earn and save money. Its mission is to help everyday Americans
build a better financial future. Prior to the acquisition by
Upbound, Brigit was backed by Lightspeed, DCM, Nyca, Flourish,
Hummingbird, DN Capital, Will Smith, CRV, Canaan, Kevin Durant,
Abstract, Sound and other prominent investors.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are made under
the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements
generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking
terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "could,"
"estimate," "predict," "continue," "should," "anticipate,"
"believe," or “confident,” or the negative thereof or variations
thereon or similar terminology and include, among others,
statements concerning (a) the anticipated benefits and synergies of
the transaction with Brigit, (b) the anticipated impact of the
transaction on the combined company’s business and future financial
and operating results, and (c) our goals, plans and projections
with respect to our operations, financial position and business
strategy. However, there can be no assurance that such expectations
will occur. The Company's actual future performance could differ
materially and adversely from such statements. Factors that could
cause or contribute to such material and adverse differences
include, but are not limited to: (1) risks relating to the
transaction with Brigit, including (i) the failure of the
transaction to deliver the estimated value and benefits expected by
the Company, (ii) the incurrence of unexpected future costs,
liabilities or obligations as a result of the transaction, (iii)
the effect of the announcement of the transaction on the ability of
the Company or Brigit to retain and hire necessary personnel and
maintain relationships with material commercial counterparties,
consumers and others with whom the Company and Brigit do business,
(iv) the ability of the Company to successfully integrate Brigit’s
operations over time, (v) the ability of the Company to
successfully implement its plans, forecasts and other expectations
with respect to Brigit’s business, and (vi) other risks and
uncertainties inherent in a transaction of this size and nature;
(2) the general strength of the economy and other economic
conditions affecting consumer preferences, demand, payment
behaviors and spending; (3) factors affecting the disposable income
available to the Company's and Brigit’s current and potential
customers; (4) the appeal of the Company’s and Brigit’s offerings
to consumers; (5) the Company's and Brigit’s ability to protect
their proprietary intellectual property; (6) the impact of the
competitive environment in the Company’s and Brigit’s industries;
(7) the Company's and Brigit’s ability to identify and successfully
market products and services that appeal to their current and
future targeted customer segments; (8) consumer preferences and
perceptions of the Company's and Brigit’s brands; (9) the Company’s
and Brigit’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations and
the impact of active enforcement of those laws and regulations,
including any changes with respect thereto or attempts to
recharacterize their offerings as credit sales; (10) information
technology and data security costs; (11) the impact of any breaches
in data security or other disturbances to the Company's or Brigit’s
information technology and other networks and the Company's and
Brigit’s ability to protect the integrity and security of
individually identifiable data of its customers and employees; and
(12) the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's
SEC reports, including but not limited to, its Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and in its
subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on
Form 8-K. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this
press release. Except as required by law, the Company is not
obligated to publicly release any revisions to these
forward-looking statements to reflect the events or circumstances
after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated
events.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250130244661/en/
Investor Contact Jeff Chesnut SVP, IR & Corporate
Development 972-801-1108 jeff.chesnut@upbound.com
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