passbook of my grandfather. Seeing that passbook reminded me of the days when people had to stand in long queues
outside the bank for hours just to withdraw or deposit a few rupees. How much worry, how much time and how much
stress there was in money transactions! While thinking about all this, I read about 10 Best Fintech Unicorns
in the US on the internet.
When I saw the list of these 10 Best Fintech Unicorns in the US, I realized that these are not just big companies
earning billions of dollars. These are dreams, solutions that have given sleepless nights to millions of people
around the world. Fintech (finance + technology) is not just a game of numbers, but a beautiful journey to make
people’s lives easier. So, let me take you on a journey of these 10 amazing companies, and show you how they have
created technology with humanity at the center.
| Rank | Company | CEO | Headquarters | Founded Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stripe | Patrick Collison (Co-founder) | San Francisco, California | 2010 |
| 2 | Ripple | Brad Garlinghouse | San Francisco, California | 2012 |
| 3 | Chime | Chris Britt | San Francisco, California | 2012 |
| 4 | Plaid | Zach Perret | San Francisco, California | 2012 |
| 5 | Brex | Henrique Dubugras (Co-founder) | San Francisco, California | 2017 |
| 6 | Circle | Jeremy Allaire (Co-founder) | New York City, New York | 2013 |
| 7 | Kraken | Dave Ripley | San Francisco, California | 2011 |
| 8 | Chainalysis | Michael Gronager (Co-founder) | New York City, New York | 2014 |
| 9 | Upgrade | Renaud Laplanche (Co-founder) | San Francisco, California | 2017 |
| 10 | Modern Treasury | Dimitri Dadiomov (Co-founder) | San Francisco, California | 2018 |
Source: Fintech magazine
10. Modern Treasury
Have you ever seen a small business owner sitting at night with his account books after a hard day’s work? His
eyes get tired trying to figure out where the payment came from and where it went. In 2018, Dimitri Dadiomov and his
colleagues in San Francisco understood this pain. They started Modern Treasury, which makes money movement as easy
for businesses as the flow of water. This has given traders peace of mind that every rupee of theirs is safe.
- CEO: Dmitry Dadyomov (Co-founder)
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Founded: 2018
9. Upgrade
Debt… This is a word that can steal the joy of any smiling family. We all know how suffocating it feels to be
trapped in the cycle of high credit card interest rates. Upgrade, launched by Renaud Laplanche in 2017, is a ray of
hope for such families. He helps people get out of debt and make better financial decisions like a true
friend.
- CEO: Renaud Laplanche (Co-founder)
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Founded: 2017
8. Chainalysis
As the world entered the new and unknown jungle of cryptocurrency, people had a fear in their minds – “What if my
money gets stolen?” To overcome this fear, Michael Gronager started Chainalysis in 2014 from New York City. This
company acts like an invisible policeman in the internet world, ensuring that no hacker steals the hard-earned money
of the common man in the digital world.
- CEO: Michael Gronager (Co-founder)
- Headquarters: New York City, New York
- Founded: 2014
7. Kraken
Remember the time in 2011 when very few people knew about Bitcoin. People wanted to be a part of this new
technology, but they couldn’t find a way. Kraken, led by Dave Ripley in San Francisco, built a secure bridge for
people. He reassured people that they were not alone in this economic transformation of the future.
- CEO: Dave Ripley
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Founded: 2011
6. Circle
We send a message on WhatsApp and it reaches the other end of the world in seconds. So why can’t our money reach
us just as quickly? This is the question that arose in the mind of Jeremy Allaire, a New York-based entrepreneur, in
2013. Circle has created a world of digital dollars where a mother can instantly send money to her son studying far
away, as if she had sent a message!
- CEO: Jeremy Allaire (Co-founder)
- Headquarters: New York City, New York
- Founded: 2013
5. Brex
When a young man or woman wakes up at night to start a new business (startup), they need support the most. But old
banks would refuse to give them a credit card because they had no “history”. In 2017, Henrique Dubugras founded Brex
in San Francisco, which believed in these young dreams and gave them wings to fly.
- CEO: Henrique Dubugras (Co-founder)
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Founded: 2017
4. Plaid
Today we use budget apps on our mobile phones, invest, and shop online. It all sounds like magic, right? The
mastermind behind this magic is Plaid. Started by Zach Perret in 2012, this company has connected our financial
lives in a very simple and secure way.
- CEO: Zach Perret
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Founded: 2012
3. Chime
Think about a common man who barely makes ends meet every month. What must be going through his heart when the
bank deducts 50 or 100 rupees from his account for not having a ‘minimum balance’? Understanding the pain of the
poor and middle class, Chris Britt started Chime in 2012. No hidden charges, no penalties. This is not just a
banking app, this is a great example of humanity.
- CEO: Chris Britt
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Founded: 2012
2. Ripple
Imagine an Indian young man working in America and his sick mother urgently needs money in India. In the old
system, the money would take days to arrive and a lot of money would be deducted in the name of fees. Founded in San
Francisco in 2012 and run by Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple erased these boundaries. Today, sending money across borders
has become as easy and affordable as sending emotions.
- CEO: Brad Garlinghouse
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Founded: 2012
1. Stripe
Selling your goods online was once a dream for an artist or small business owner, because accepting payments
online was so difficult. In 2010, two brothers (one of whom is Patrick Collison) created Stripe, giving merchants
around the world a huge gift. Today, sitting in the corner of your home, you can securely accept money from
customers in any country in the world. This company has truly transformed the internet into a global
marketplace.
- CEO: Patrick Collison (Co-founder)
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Founded: 2010
Final Thoughts:
When we look at the history of these companies and their goals, it becomes clear that technology, when
combined with true passion, can create miracles. These ‘unicorns’, spread from San Francisco to New York, are
not just made of computer code, but are built by understanding people’s needs, their fears, and their financial
struggles.
Money is not just a piece of paper or a number on a screen; it is our sense of security, our family’s future,
and our hopes. These fintech companies have proven that the financial world can be run not just for profit, but
also for the service and peace of mind of the people.