Photo of Charles Birnbaum, Partner

Charles Birnbaum

Partner

Charles Birnbaum is a partner in Bessemer’s New York office, where he invests in early stage and promising financial services, consumer, and education companies in the U.S. and Europe. He has a strong interest in fintech infrastructure, embedded financial services, consumer-facing products, the powerful emergence of DeFi, and the consumer-facing companies and infrastructure players that will serve as a bridge between DeFi and TradFi.

Before joining Bessemer in 2013, Charles was one of the earliest team members at Foursquare, the location-based mobile application and social network, where he helped to bring forth the company’s first merchant-facing tools. During the company’s growth phase, Charles became the director of mobile and international business development and built strategic partnerships with media companies, carriers, and OEMs in key growth markets.

Prior to Foursquare, Charles spent six years in investment banking and equity capital markets focusing on the technology, media, and telecom sectors.

He earned his MBA from the Wharton School, Master of Arts in international studies from the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Arts in history from Northwestern University.

“Disruptive fintech companies come in many different flavors – some emphasize the F, some the T. No matter what, they all have to build trust with their consumers, find an innovative hook for distribution, and differentiate around customer experience.”

Companies

2U *

2U

NASDAQ: TWOU

2U is a SaaS platform that provides schools with the comprehensive operating infrastructure. In March 2014, 2U went public (NASDAQ: TWOU).

Betterment

Betterment

Betterment is a goal-based online investment company, delivering personalized financial advice paired with low fees and customer experience.

Fabric Technologies *

Fabric Technologies

ACQUIRED BY: WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP

Fabric Technologies is a mobile life insurance broker that makes the process of getting coverage quick and easy.

Fabric was acquired by Western & Southern Financial Group in January 2021.

Farther

Farther

Farther is a comprehensive wealth management platform for ensuring consumers' prosperity now, and far into the future.

Guild

Guild

Guild Education's lifelong learning platform offers classes, programs, and degrees for working adults.

Main Street Hub *

Main Street Hub

ACQUIRED BY: GODADDY

Main Street Hub is a CRM for local businesses. Main Street Hub was acquired by GoDaddy in 2018.

Melio Payments

Melio Payments

Melio Payments is a B2B payments experience, offering small businesses an easy-to-use tool for paying suppliers and controlling cash flow.

NYDIG

NYDIG

NYDIG provides the full suite of digital asset services to premier institutions and sophisticated investors.

Papaya Pay

Papaya Pay

Papaya Pay is a mobile bill payment application designed to simplify financial transactions.

Spruce

Spruce

Spruce aims to improve title insurance assessment and issuance to reduce the time needed to close a real estate deal.

Staircase

Staircase

Staircase is an application programming interface (API) for the mortgage industry.

United Capital *

United Capital

ACQUIRED BY: GOLDMAN SACHS

United Capital is a wealth counseling company helping clients to achieve empowerment over their financial aspirations. In 2019, United Capital was acquired by Goldman Sachs.

Upvest

Upvest

Upvest is an investment API that empowers financial institutions to offer investment products in their app with a modular, scalable, and accessible alternative.

Yodle *

Yodle

ACQUIRED BY: WEB.COM

Yodle provides local marketing and lead-generation services to small and medium sized businesses. In March 2016, Yodle was acquired by Web.com.

Zopa

Zopa

Zopa offers peer-to-peer loans with low rates, flexible terms, and no early repayment fees.

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