Robinhood Tops 13 Million Users, Raises $280M at $8.3B Valuation

No-fee investing app Robinhood has landed an $8.3 billion valuation after it raised $280 million in Series F funding, the company confirmed today. Sequoia Capital, one of Silicon Valley’s biggest venture investors, led the round that was joined by returning investors, including NEA, Ribbit Capital, 9Yards Capital, and Unusual Ventures.

Announcing the new mega-round Monday, Robinhood said it had grown rapidly in 2020, having added three million funded accounts so far this year. The Silicon Valley Startup Startup A company operating within its first stage of investing is known as a startup. While startups may give the impression that the company must be new, that is not always the case.Many companies can have this designation after nearly three years of existence. Typically, a company exits the startup status after a period between 3 to 5 years or after successful funding rounds where capital is acquired. Startups tend to derive out of the belief that there is a demand for a service or product which is created by at least one or more entrepreneurs. These seek capital as a means to bypass a limited availability of capital and combat high costs. This is why startups seek funding from funding rounds, crowdfunding, venture capitalists, financial institutions, or other sources. What Makes Startups Successful?Given the fact that most startups fail, the first three years of a startup are critical which is why startup founders require capital for talent acquisition, creating effective business models and plans.In parallel it is important to provide proof-of-concept for the long-term through an established user base and consistent revenue streams. Many startups use seed funding, which occurs during the first stage of funding rounds, where fundraised capital is used to conduct market research and product or service development.Sometimes, startups go through an acquisition process, where they merge larger companies competing in a similar industry. Companies that generate less than $20 million annually, possess less than 80 employees, and are primarily controlled by the founding entrepreneur(s) are generally classified as startups. Today, some of the world’s most successful companies started as startups, such as Facebook, Uber, and SpaceX to name a few. A company operating within its first stage of investing is known as a startup. While startups may give the impression that the company must be new, that is not always the case.Many companies can have this designation after nearly three years of existence. Typically, a company exits the startup status after a period between 3 to 5 years or after successful funding rounds where capital is acquired. Startups tend to derive out of the belief that there is a demand for a service or product which is created by at least one or more entrepreneurs. These seek capital as a means to bypass a limited availability of capital and combat high costs. This is why startups seek funding from funding rounds, crowdfunding, venture capitalists, financial institutions, or other sources. What Makes Startups Successful?Given the fact that most startups fail, the first three years of a startup are critical which is why startup founders require capital for talent acquisition, creating effective business models and plans.In parallel it is important to provide proof-of-concept for the long-term through an established user base and consistent revenue streams. Many startups use seed funding, which occurs during the first stage of funding rounds, where fundraised capital is used to conduct market research and product or service development.Sometimes, startups go through an acquisition process, where they merge larger companies competing in a similar industry. Companies that generate less than $20 million annually, possess less than 80 employees, and are primarily controlled by the founding entrepreneur(s) are generally classified as startups. Today, some of the world’s most successful companies started as startups, such as Facebook, Uber, and SpaceX to name a few. Read this Term, mostly used by millennials to trade stocks and cryptocurrency, said in December 2019 it had hit 10 million accounts milestone, up from its one million subscribers in 2016 and six million accounts in 2018.

To put those impressive metrics in context, the New York startup has been able to bring on more customers than TD Ameritrade, which onboards 11 million users and has been in the online brokerage industry since 1975. One of Robinhood’s biggest competitors, E-Trade, had 4.9 million brokerage accounts at the end of 2019, with an annualized new account growth rate of seven percent.

Part of the new Funding Round Funding Round Startups look to raise capital can participate in a funding round. These refers to the various rounds of funding that occur upon proof of concept, customer base growth, and the probability of success. While they are various types of funding rounds, the most commonly seen in startups include the following funding rounds: Seed, Series A Fundraising, Series B Fundraising, and Series C Fundraising. In order for a funding round to take place, a valuation must be performed by analysts for the business in question. Common factors that analysts use for valuations include market size, risk, management, and historical transparency. Types of Funding RoundsThe seed funding round officially kicks off a startup’s equity fundraising process. Used by startups to finance the beginning stages of its business, some proceeds of seed funding may go towards product development and market research.Common investors include angel investors, friends, family, and venture capital firms.Companies that emerge out of the seed funding round that has gone on to prove its ability to build a consumer base while generating a regularly occurring revenue can participate in Series A Fundraising.Businesses that wish to opt-in to a Series A funding round must also possess a strong business strategy to illustrate how it will continue to manifest into a successful business. Series B Fundraising are available for companies that are seeking to depart the development stage that has valuations between $30 million to $60 million.Companies that go on to make it to Series C funding rounds are considerably successful where the aim is to scale a company as efficiently and quickly as possible. Typical investors include investment banks, private equity firms, and hedge funds. For many investors, monitoring how a startup goes through funding rounds is a tactical strategy for securing high-probability investments. Startups look to raise capital can participate in a funding round. These refers to the various rounds of funding that occur upon proof of concept, customer base growth, and the probability of success. While they are various types of funding rounds, the most commonly seen in startups include the following funding rounds: Seed, Series A Fundraising, Series B Fundraising, and Series C Fundraising. In order for a funding round to take place, a valuation must be performed by analysts for the business in question. Common factors that analysts use for valuations include market size, risk, management, and historical transparency. Types of Funding RoundsThe seed funding round officially kicks off a startup’s equity fundraising process. Used by startups to finance the beginning stages of its business, some proceeds of seed funding may go towards product development and market research.Common investors include angel investors, friends, family, and venture capital firms.Companies that emerge out of the seed funding round that has gone on to prove its ability to build a consumer base while generating a regularly occurring revenue can participate in Series A Fundraising.Businesses that wish to opt-in to a Series A funding round must also possess a strong business strategy to illustrate how it will continue to manifest into a successful business. Series B Fundraising are available for companies that are seeking to depart the development stage that has valuations between $30 million to $60 million.Companies that go on to make it to Series C funding rounds are considerably successful where the aim is to scale a company as efficiently and quickly as possible. Typical investors include investment banks, private equity firms, and hedge funds. For many investors, monitoring how a startup goes through funding rounds is a tactical strategy for securing high-probability investments. Read this Term will certainly go to improve its app’s infrastructure-related issues. A fair number of its users were frustrated with trying to figure out how they fared during the first week of March 2020. Clients have complained about not having access to their accounts and having long wait times for customer service.

Robinhood’s most recent funding came from a $323 million Series E round led by DST Global and other venture capital firms, including Sequoia. At the time, in July 2019, the deal had put its valuation at $7.6 billion, up $2 billion from its Series D valuation in 2018.

Six years after Robinhood launched with no-fee trading, major brokerages were catching up with a wave of fee-eliminating announcements over the past two months. In the span of just a few weeks, nearly all US online brokers eliminated commissions, which could be a direct hit to the startup that kicked off the trend in 2013.

Robinhood’s offering is particularly popular among the “millennial” population, who appreciate the ease of using the app to trade several asset classes without fees. The company also unveiled plans for a bank account-like feature that will pay customers 2.05 percent interest and offer a no-fee debit card service.