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NBCUniversal Funding Gets Acorns Closer to Unicorn StatusNBCUniversal Funding Gets Acorns Closer to Unicorn Status

Acorns' latest private equity funding raises the five-year-old startup's valuation to $860 million.

Davis Janowski, Senior Technology Editor, WealthManagement.com

January 29, 2019

1 Min Read
Acorns

A little spare change squirreled away hardly seems the best visual for five-year-old automated advice platform, or so-called "robo advisor," Acorns anymore. WealthManagement.com saw news of the startup’s latest $105 million in private equity funding through the outlet of one of its latest investors, CNBC, which is owned by NBCUniversal, in turn owned by Comcast. This latest round follows a $50 million investment by BlackRock in May 2018.

In addition to the equity investment, a strategic partnership with Comcast-owned CNBC was announced Monday, which will produce original content for and with Acorns and the startup’s separate content and educational site called GrowAccording to CNBC’s story/announcement, the larger company will team up with Acorns “on articles, videos and eventually live conferences with the aim of increasing financial literacy.”

The latest funding makes NBCUniversal Acorns’ biggest shareholder and that gets the broadcast giant a seat on the Acorns board, which will be filled by CNBC Chairman Mark Hoffman. 

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About the Author

Davis Janowski

Senior Technology Editor, WealthManagement.com

Davis Janowski is a New York-based technology journalist whose work spans consumer, business and the FinTech sectors.

Prior to his six years with WM, Janowski worked for Forrester Research as an analyst covering Digital Wealth Management. In edition, he has worked for two FinTech startups, Wealthfront and New York-based FeeX, Inc. (now Pontera). His work covering the advisor tech space began in 2007 when he joined InvestmentNews as the advisor industry’s first dedicated technology reporter. His start in tech journalism began as an editor with PC Magazine in 1999 where he later served as an analyst and reviewer.

His work has appeared in The New York TimesWealthManagement.comFinancial PlanningRIABizInvestmentNewsPC Magazine, numerous blogs and several books, including Technology Tools for Today's High Margin Practice. He has also been a speaker and moderator at numerous industry conferences.

Outside his day-to-day he is a senior guide for Manhattan Kayak Company in New York City.

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