Upstart is a lending company that provides personal loans through its website and app. The company is notable for partnering with banks, credit unions, and car dealerships to provide borrowers with as many options as possible. Upstart also uses a combination of traditional and non-traditional underwriting criteria to prove a borrower’s creditworthiness. Criteria can include FICO score, income, credit reports, college attended, area of study, GPA, and work history; the goal is to provide a more holistic picture of the borrower and their ability to repay. The company is based in San Mateo, California, and its CEO is Dave Girouard—one of the company’s three founders and the former President of Enterprise Google.

Upstart was founded in 2012 by Girouard, Paul Gu (a Thiel Fellow), and Anna Counselman (former Manager of Enterprise Custome...