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Bumped is a technology company.
Bumped operates a unique loyalty platform that enables consumers to earn fractional shares of stock from their favorite brands simply by making everyday purchases. This app-based system integrates with various businesses, allowing them to reward customer loyalty with direct ownership, transforming traditional points or discounts into tangible equity. The platform’s technology tracks eligible transactions, facilitating the seamless allocation of shares to users.
The company was founded in 2017 by David Nelsen, driven by the insight that true brand loyalty could be fostered by empowering consumers with a direct stake in the companies they frequent. Nelsen envisioned a system where shoppers could become shareholders, aligning their financial interests with the success of the brands they patronize, thereby deepening the customer-brand relationship beyond mere transactional engagement.
Bumped serves both individual consumers seeking to build portfolios through everyday spending and businesses aiming to differentiate their loyalty programs. Its vision is to democratize stock ownership, making it an accessible and intuitive benefit that strengthens brand affinity and creates a more engaged customer base. The company aims to redefine customer loyalty by integrating financial incentives with consumer purchasing habits.
Bumped has raised $35.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Bumped has raised $35.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Bumped has raised $35.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Bumped's investors include Canaan Partners, Seven Seven Six, Yaron Lemelbaum, Commerce Ventures, Oregon Venture Fund, Peninsula Ventures, Valor Siren Ventures, Dan Ciporin, Alumni Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Social Capital, Othman Laraki.
Bumped is a fintech company that built a platform enabling banks, brands, and businesses to reward customers with fractional shares of stock, transforming everyday spending into equity ownership.[1][2] It primarily served retail, restaurant, and financial sectors by integrating stock rewards into loyalty programs, solving the problem of low engagement in traditional points or cashback systems through a novel "ownership economy" model.[1][2][3] The company launched a consumer app converting purchases at over 1,000 retailers into stock and developed enterprise tools for employee rewards, achieving early traction with 50,000 users upon official launch while raising $32.02M across Series A-III stages before its acquisition by Bakkt Holdings in February 2023.[1][2]
Founded in 2017 in Portland, Oregon (formerly Solovex), Bumped was led by CEO David Nelsen, who envisioned stock ownership as a superior loyalty mechanism over points or cashback.[1][2] The idea emerged from recognizing consumers' desire for equity in brands they frequent, starting with a consumer app pilot and expanding to enterprise solutions, including building an in-house brokerage—a significant technical milestone.[2] Early momentum included a $10.4M Series A tranche in 2019 (part of $30M+ total by then), partnerships like Rakuten's Cartera Commerce for stock rewards, and a Columbia Business School pilot study validating behavioral impact, culminating in 50,000 users at launch.[1][2][3]
Bumped rode the fintech trend of democratizing investing through fractional shares and embedded finance, aligning with the rise of "ownership economies" where loyalty programs evolve into wealth-building tools amid low savings rates and retail investor booms post-2020.[1][2] Timing was ideal during the meme stock era and digital banking surge (tagged in 867 digital banking items), enabling easy integration for retailers/restaurants facing commoditized rewards.[1][3] It influenced the ecosystem by inspiring competitors like Alpaca (trading APIs) and Atomic (fractional trading for fintechs), while its Bakkt acquisition in 2023 extended crypto/stock rewards into broader digital asset platforms, accelerating B2B adoption in loyalty tech.[1]
Post-2023 Bakkt acquisition, Bumped's platform likely powers expanded stock/crypto rewards within Bakkt's ecosystem, targeting deeper enterprise penetration in retail and finance.[1] Trends like AI-driven personalization and regulatory tailwinds for fractional ownership will shape growth, potentially evolving influence toward seamless embedded investing in apps/wallets. As fintech loyalty matures, Bumped's equity-as-reward thesis—once a bold consumer hook—now anchors scalable B2B impact, redefining how brands foster lifelong customer ownership.[2]
Bumped has raised $35.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $10.0M Series A in November 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2020 | $10.0M Series A | Canaan Partners | Seven Seven Six, Yaron Lemelbaum, Commerce Ventures, Oregon Venture Fund, Peninsula Ventures, Valor Siren Ventures |
| Jun 5, 2019 | $5.0M Series A Extension | Canaan Partners, Commerce Ventures, Oregon Venture Fund, Peninsula Ventures | |
| Jun 1, 2018 | $17.0M Series A | Dan Ciporin | Alumni Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Seven Seven Six, Social Capital, Othman Laraki, Roger Bamford, Yaron Lemelbaum, Commerce Ventures, Oregon Venture Fund, Peninsula Ventures, Stanford |
| Apr 1, 2018 | $3.0M Seed | Album VC, Alumni Ventures, C2 Investment, Jared Hecht, Night Capital, Path Ventures, SV Angel, Joe Speiser, Rob May, Sam Parr |