Startup profile for Branch International: latest funding, latest known valuation, total disclosed funding, investors, status, sources, and why the company is interesting. Part of the Venture Capital Tracker startup directory.
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Branch International funding, valuation and investors

Mobile-first lending and financial services for emerging markets (Branch.co).

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Funding, valuation & investors

Answer-first snapshot

Latest funding

Series C

$170M · April 2019

Latest known valuation

Not publicly disclosed

Total disclosed equity funding

$179M

Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.

Current status

private

growth · San Francisco, California

Investors in latest funding

Lead: Foundation Capital

Other: Andreessen Horowitz

Source links not recorded Last verified: 2026-07-25

Overview

Branch International (Branch.co) offers smartphone-based lending and financial services in emerging markets, using mobile data for credit underwriting across Africa and India.

Why Branch International is interesting

Kiva-founder team scaling smartphone-underwritten credit across Africa and India — a16z-led A before Visa-backed Series C.

Product & use cases

Mobile-first personal loans in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, India — underwriting via smartphone signals instead of credit bureaus.

  • Instant personal loans via mobile app
  • Financial services for underbanked populations
  • Smartphone-data credit scoring in emerging markets

Key facts

  • Series A (Mar 2016): $9.2M led by a16z for Kenya mobile lending (TechCrunch)
  • Series C (Apr 2019): $170M led by Foundation Capital and Visa; a16z re-upped (Nasdaq PR)
  • Co-investors not in VCT directory: Foundation Capital, Visa Ventures, Formation 8, Trinity Ventures
  • Source: https://a16z.com/announcement/branch/

Funding history (newest first)

Series C

2019-04 $170M

Series A

2016-03 $9.2M

Source: https://a16z.com/announcement/branch/

Investors in our directory

Funds linked from Branch International's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.

Andreessen Horowitz B Capital Group Khosla Ventures

Competitive landscape

Edge: Kiva-founder team scaling smartphone-underwritten credit across Africa and India — a16z-led A before Visa-backed Series C.

Emerging market mobile lending faces regulatory and default cycle risks. Kiva-founder team and Visa-backed Series C validated the model.

  • Tala direct

    Mobile lending in similar markets.

  • FairMoney direct

    Digital lending across Africa.

  • M-Pesa incumbent

    Dominant mobile money rail in Kenya.

Notable stories

  • Founded by Kiva.org alumni.
  • Visa participated in $170M Series C.
  • Not to be confused with Branch.io deep linking.

Industries

Fintech

Related funding articles

Venture Capital Tracker pieces that cover Branch International's financing or category context.

FAQs about Branch International

Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.

Branch provides mobile-first personal loans and financial products in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, India, and other markets — underwriting via smartphone signals rather than traditional credit bureaus.
Andreessen Horowitz (see /fund/andreessen-horowitz) led the $9.2M Series A in 2016. Khosla Ventures (see /fund/khosla-ventures) and B Capital Group (see /fund/b-capital-group) participated in later rounds alongside Visa-backed financing.
Growth stage after a $170M Series C in 2019 led by Foundation Capital and Visa. The company remains private.
Founded by Kiva.org alumni, Branch proved smartphone-underwritten credit can scale across fragmented emerging markets — a template for mobile-first neobanks and lenders.
No — Branch International remains private.
Headquarters not publicly disclosed in sources we index.
Founding year not publicly disclosed in sources we index.
Branch International has not publicly disclosed profitability.
See fundraising rounds and highlights on this profile for disclosed amounts.
fintech
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Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.