
Green Dot
114 W 7th St Ste 240, Austin, TX, 78701, United States
Overview
Green Dot Corporation is a provider of retail-based financial services. The company offers consumers financial products and services through retailer locations including Walmart, Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy, Rite Aid, Kmart, Kroger, 7-ELEVEN, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Smiths and Radio Shack. Green Dot's products include Green Dot MasterCard® and Visa® branded prepaid debit cards and the Green Dot MoneyPak® - a cash processing gateway that provides a way for consumers to load cash to prepaid cards, use cash to make purchases and pay bills, and add cash to a variety of accounts including PayPal. Green Dot is a leading prepaid financial services company providing simple, low-cost and convenient money management solutions to a broad base of U.S. consumers. They believe that they are the leading provider of general purpose reloadable prepaid debit cards in the United States and that their Green Dot Network is the leading prepaid reload network in the United States. They sell their cards and offer their reload services nationwide at approximately 50,000 retail store locations, which provide consumers convenient access to their products and services. Their technology platform, Green PlaNET, provides essential functionality, including point-of-sale connectivity and interoperability with Visa, MasterCard and other payment or funds transfer networks, and compliance and other capabilities to their Green Dot Network, enabling real-time transactions in a secure environment. The combination of their innovative products, broad retail distribution and proprietary technology creates powerful network effects, which they believe enhance the value they deliver to their customers, retail distributors and other participants in their network. They were an early pioneer in the development of general purpose reloadable prepaid debit cards, or GPR cards, and associated reload services, which collectively they refer to as prepaid financial services. GPR cards are designed for general spending purposes and can be used anywhere the cards' applicable payment network, such as Visa or MasterCard, is accepted, but, unlike gift cards, can be reloaded with additional funds for ongoing, long-term use. Their GPR cards are issued as Visa- or MasterCard-branded cards and are accepted worldwide by merchants and other businesses belonging to the applicable payment network, including for bill payments, online shopping, everyday store purchases and ATM withdrawals. They believe that they are the leading provider of GPR cards in the United States based on the 3.4 million active cards in their portfolio as of March 31, 2010, which they define as cards that have had a purchase, reload or ATM withdrawal transaction during the previous 90-day period. They have built strong distribution and marketing relationships with many significant retail chains, including Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, 7-Eleven, Kroger, K-Mart, Meijer and Radio Shack. These retail chains provide consumers with convenient locations to purchase and reload their cards. In addition, any holder of a GPR card issued by a member of their reload network may reload that card at any one of those locations. Currently, there are over 100 third-party prepaid card programs that use their nationwide reload network to facilitate reloading by their cardholders. In 2009, they entered into an agreement with PayPal whereby its customers can add funds to any new or existing PayPal account through their reload network at all retail locations where they sell their products and services, but to date they have not generated significant operating revenues from their relationship with PayPal. In fiscal 2009, the gross dollar volume loaded to their GPR card and reload products was $4.7 billion, an increase of 67% over fiscal 2008. They have developed a business model with powerful network effects. Growth in the number of their product and service offerings or their network participants, which include consumers, retail distributors and businesses that accept reloads or payments through the Green Dot Network, enhances the value they deliver to all network participants. Their technology platform, Green PlaNET, enables network participants to communicate and complete transactions rapidly and securely through their reload network or third-party payment or funds transfer networks, and is a central component of their network-based business model.
- Total investments
- 1
- Lead investments
- 1
- Investments · 12mo
- 0
- Active investors
- 8
Sector focus
- Finance
- Financial Services
Investment portfolio
- Gig Wage
Led · Series A · Oct 2020
Gig Wage operates a FinTech payroll platform that enables employers to instantly pay 1099 workers and provides independent contractors an efficient way to receive payments. Founded in 2014 and based in Dallas, the company serves the 1099 workforce. It raised $3.25M in venture debt from Silicon Valley Bank, which the company intends to deploy into key growth areas. Gig Wage has raised $16.45M to date from backers including Green Dot Corporation, Silicon Valley Bank, Foundry Group, Continental Investors, Techstars and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. The company also announced several senior hires, including Clarisa Lindenmeyer as Chief of Staff to the CEO and Chief Brand Officer, alongside additions to its go-to-market and executive teams. Management additions are intended to build the Office of the CEO and grow the brand image, experience and promise both internally and externally. Gig Wage provides payroll, payment, and banking services tailored to the gig marketplace. The company operates a payments platform that integrates payroll and banking functionality for gig workers. In October 2020 it closed a $7.5M Series A led by Green Dot, strengthening its financial position. As part of the deal Green Dot will act as Gig Wage's infrastructure bank partner, adding banking services to Gig Wage's payment services platform. The round also included Continental Investors, Techstars, Rise of the Rest and others. Gig Wage is based in Dallas, Texas and was founded in 2014.