ABOUT
Renaud is the co-founder and CEO of Upgrade. Prior to co-founding Upgrade, Renaud founded in 2006 and ran for 10 years Lending Club, a Fintech pioneer that quickly became America’s largest provider of personal loans. Under Renaud’s leadership, the company helped millions of consumers refinance tens of billions of high-cost credit card debt with more affordable and responsible personal loans. Renaud took the company public in 2014, recording the largest US-based Internet IPO that year.
In recent years Renaud received multiple awards and nominations. Among other distinctions, Renaud was recognized on Bloomberg Markets’ Most Influential List, an annual ranking of the World’s top 50 most influential leaders across technology, finance, and politics. Renaud also won the Economist Innovation Award, and was recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative for expanding access to affordable credit.
Renaud holds the Newport-Bermuda sailing record, with the only crossing ever achieved under 24 hours. He received an MBA from HEC and London Business School and a law degree from Montpellier University in France.
Upgrade is one of the fastest growing and most valuable US fintech unicorns. Upgrade’s goal is to help consumers move in the right direction with responsible financial products that put more money in their pocket. The company offers no-fee mobile banking products including checking and savings accounts, and a full range of affordable and responsible credit products. Upgrade was named the fastest growing company in the Americas by the Financial Times in 2021. It has delivered over $24 billion in affordable credit since inception and was recently valued at $6.3 billion.
