Co-branded credit card startup Imprint secured $130 million in new funding, reported $400 million in expected annual revenue and signed Fanatics as a partner.
Imprint raised $130 million at a $1.88 billion valuation as the co-branded credit card startup expanded its roster of retail partners.
Funding and growth
Chief Executive Daragh Murphy said the New York company expects to close the year with about $400 million in GAAP revenue, a 150% increase from the prior year. Imprint grew head count by 30% over the same period, a pace Murphy framed as efficient compared with other fast-growing financial technology companies. Murphy said he sees no fintech beyond Ramp growing at Imprint’s speed and scale.
The round lifted Imprint’s valuation from $1.2 billion. Positive Sum, the venture capital firm Patrick O’Shaughnessy co-founded, joined the round. Existing investors Ribbit Capital, Thrive Capital, Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures also participated.
Partnerships and scale
Imprint builds co-branded credit cards for brands that use rewards and offers to drive repeat spending. The company signed H-E-B three years ago and has since added Albertsons, Kroger and Shell, including two of the 10 largest retailers in the United States. The company also introduced a co-branded card with Fanatics.
Murphy reported more than two million cardholders, up from about 15,000 when the company raised capital at a $240 million valuation three years earlier. The jump shows how large retail and fuel partners can convert customer loyalty programs into card accounts at scale.
Market context
Co-branded cards sit at the intersection of payments, lending and retail marketing. For merchants, these programs generate data on customer spending and create incentives that keep shoppers inside a brand’s ecosystem. For issuers, large partners provide distribution that can lower customer acquisition costs compared with general-purpose cards.
Imprint’s revenue growth and lean hiring suggest the company relies on partner reach and program economics rather than heavy staffing to expand. The strategy places Imprint in competition with established co-branded card issuers and newer fintech platforms that pitch modern technology and faster program launches to brands.
Strategic implications
The new capital gives Imprint room to support more large programs and deepen relationships with national retailers and consumer brands. The addition of Fanatics extends Imprint into sports merchandise, a category where frequent purchases and fan loyalty can support rewards-driven spending.
Investors valued Imprint at more than $1.8 billion on the strength of its reported revenue run rate, partner list and cardholder growth. The company’s next test centers on maintaining credit performance and partner satisfaction as it adds accounts across grocery, fuel and retail categories.
