The old buy-versus-build debate has been settled. At Capital One.
Capital One Financial Corp. said today that it had acquired Level Money, a PFM solution targeting millennial users, for an undisclosed price. The acquisition brings a beautiful application into Capital One’s portfolio, which includes the former ING Direct.
It also brings a prized group of potential customers into the Capital One universe.
The Level Money app, available on iOS and Android, was released in Oct. 2013. According to the company, since then, “more than 700,000 people have downloaded the Level Money app, and we’ve helped our customers manage more than $12 billion in transactions.”
Level Money insists that it will continue to evolve under Capital One’s ownership.
For our customers, the experience will only get better. The Level Money app will continue as a stand-alone application and will continue to evolve and grow. Powered by the resources and deep expertise within Capital One, we will deliver a modern money management experience that is unparalleled within the industry. And yes, the Level Money app will still be free!
As for what Capital One paid, that’s tougher to discern. Level Money — not to be confused with LevelUp, another fine startup — did its last funding round when it launch its app, in Oct. 2013. That round raised $5 million. Presumably, Capital One paid a premium to that, perhaps on the order of a multiple to the amount raised back in 2013. In other words, Capital One presumably determined that buying Level Money was less expensive than building the PFM it offers, at least in this case.
TechCrunch asked Capital One “how it plans to monetize its new investments”:
[Capital One] didn’t reply with a direct answer, only saying that Level Money is “one of many steps that Capital One is making to deliver a next-generation banking experience.”
And the “buy v. build” debate continues.