Upside

Upside

Cash-back app for retail purchases

About Upside

Simplify's Rating
Why Upside is rated
C+
Rated D+ on Competitive Edge
Rated A on Growth Potential
Rated C on Rating Differentiation

Industries

Consulting

Cybersecurity

Consumer Goods

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Debt Financing

Total Funding

$165M

Headquarters

Washington DC, District of Columbia

Founded

2015

Overview

Upside provides a cash-back app that allows users to earn money back on everyday purchases like gas, groceries, and food. By partnering with retailers, Upside shares a portion of the commissions earned from driving sales back to the consumers as cash-back rewards. The company focuses on user privacy and environmental sustainability, investing in projects that offset carbon emissions. Upside aims to create a fair economic model that benefits both consumers and retailers while promoting inclusivity in its workplace.

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Partnership with Marqeta enhances card programs with personalized cash-back offers.
  • Collaboration with Chime integrates cash-back features into debit and credit cards.
  • Growing trend of businesses using cash-back promotions boosts Upside's market presence.

What critics are saying

  • Increased competition from fintechs like Chime could dilute Upside's market share.
  • Reliance on partnerships like Marqeta may pose risks if technical issues arise.
  • Volatility in the FinTech IPO market could impact Upside's future funding opportunities.

What makes Upside unique

  • Upside offers a unique cash-back app for everyday purchases, enhancing consumer savings.
  • The company invests 1% of revenue in sustainability initiatives, supporting environmental goals.
  • Upside's model benefits both consumers and retailers, driving sales without operational changes.

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Funding

Total Funding

$165M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

2 Rounds

Series D funding is typically for companies that are already well-established but need more funding to continue their growth. This round is often used to stabilize the company or prepare for an IPO.
Series D Funding Comparison
Below Average

Industry standards

$77M
$65M
Upside
$70M
Twilio
$80M
Handshake
$100M
Affirm

Benefits

Health, vision, & dental insurance

Free lunch

Stock options

Unlimited PTO

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

0%
PYMNTS
Mar 28th, 2025
Fintech Ipo Index Slips 1.3% As Huize Sinks After Earnings

FinTech IPO Index names were mostly in the red this past week, and the companies that did manage to post gains barely made it out of the low single-digit percentages. The majority of the headlines through the last several days were centered on partnerships tied to platforms, including buy now pay later, card issuing and banking initiatives. Insurance solutions firm Huize led the slide, down by nearly 16% through the past five sessions. Huize’s shares plummeted on the heels of its earnings report. The company’s investor materials revealed that gross written premiums facilitated across the company’s platform were the equivalent of $142.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, a decrease of 16.2% year over year. Renewal premiums accounted for 46.5% of total written premiums a decrease of 41.3% from the year ago period

FF News
Mar 25th, 2025
Upside And Marqeta Partner To Unlock Growth Opportunities For Consumer Card Programs

Upside, a leading digital marketplace dedicated to empowering individuals and businesses financially, today announced a strategic partnership with Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ), a global modern card issuing platform. This collaboration enables Marqeta’s customers to leverage Upside’s always-on cash-back offers within their consumer card programs, helping them drive more transactions, increase retention and engagement, and strengthen their top-of-wallet positioning.“At Marqeta, we’re always looking for ways to help our customers create stronger connections with their users,” said Todd Pollak, Chief Revenue Officer at Marqeta. “Integrating Upside’s personalized cash-back offers makes it easier for customers to deliver meaningful rewards and keep their cardholders engaged where they spend most—grocery stores, restaurants, and fuel stations.”Marqeta, which serves as the issuer processor for some of today’s most innovative companies, will now offer Upside to its consumer debit and prepaid card programs in the US. This partnership enables Marqeta’s customers to deliver more value to their cardholders through personalized cash-back offers and actionable insights, enabled by seamless data flow between Marqeta and Upside.“Upside bridges the gap between retailers and consumers, ensuring both get more value from every transaction, and our partnership with Marqeta extends that reach even further,” said Alex Kinnier, Upside co-founder and CEO. “Our platform powers the highest-value offers in everyday spend categories by ensuring every offer drives incremental profit for retailers.”For many consumers, the decision of which card to use is driven by the rewards they will receive. By embedding Upside’s cash-back offers, businesses can influence spend shift by giving users more reasons to think of them first at checkout

PYMNTS
Mar 25th, 2025
Marqeta Teams With Upside To Offer Cash-Back Rewards

Card issuing platform Marqeta has launched a collaboration with retail technology firm Upside. The partnership, announced Tuesday (March 25), lets Marqeta customers integrate Upside’s cash-back offers into their consumer debit and prepaid card programs. “At Marqeta, we’re always looking for ways to help our customers create stronger connections with their users,” Todd Pollak, Marqeta’s chief revenue officer, said in a news release. “Integrating Upside’s personalized cash-back offers makes it easier for customers to deliver meaningful rewards and keep their cardholders engaged where they spend most — grocery stores, restaurants and fuel stations.”

PYMNTS
Mar 25th, 2025
Marqeta Teams With Upside to Offer Cash-Back Rewards

Marqeta teams with Upside to offer cash-back rewards.

Rewards Cards
Mar 29th, 2024
Play for Free Food & Drinks Daily at Casey's General Store

Convenience store chain Casey's General Stores has partnered with GetUpside to offer cash back promotions to its customers, beginning with their fuel purchases and expanding to in-store and restaurant purchases.

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