Company Intelligence

Plaid

Plaid is the critical data network powering the digital financial ecosystem, connecting over 12,000 financial institutions with fintech applications and utilizing AI for real-time risk assessment via Plaid Signal.

Overview

What this company is, what it builds, and who it serves.

Plaid is a financial data connectivity and infrastructure company founded in 2013 in San Francisco by Zach Perret and William Hockey. Plaid is the data network that powers modern digital finance, connecting over 8,000 applications to 12,000 financial institutions.

Who it serves

Digital fintech apps (Venmo, Robinhood, Coinbase, Chime), traditional banks, digital merchants, and consumer lending platforms.

What it builds

Plaid API, Plaid Link, Plaid Signal (machine learning risk engine), Plaid Layer, and Plaid Transfer.

Why It Matters

Plaid is the critical data network powering the digital financial ecosystem, connecting over 12,000 financial institutions with fintech applications and utilizing AI for real-time risk assessment via Plaid Signal.

Funding

Verified funding disclosures on file for this company.

  • April 2021: Plaid raises a Series D round at a $13.4 billion valuation.
  • February 2026: Plaid secures a new funding round at an $8 billion valuation, reported to be aimed at providing employees liquidity for their shares.

Products

Products and platforms connected to this company.

  • Plaid API Financial AI product

    Explore Plaid API by Plaid. Verified AI product intelligence covering core capabilities, Finance use cases, technical architecture, and…

    View product intelligence

Founders

People linked to this company in the Brel founder graph.

Ecosystem

How this company connects across the Brel AI intelligence graph.

Company

Plaid

Industry

Products

Capabilities

  • Scalable domain-specific neural network architectures
  • Enterprise-grade data protection, security, and compliance
  • High-throughput API access and real-time inference processing
  • Deep integration into modern developer and cloud infrastructure

Features

  • Plaid API
  • High-performance developer API with comprehensive SDKs
  • Enterprise workspace collaboration and role-based access control
  • Continuous automated model evaluation and audit logging

Country

United States

Official Resources

Official and developer links on file for this company.

APIs for linking bank accounts, verifying identity and balances, and initiating payments, used by thousands of fintech applications. Introduction Plaid is a financial data network that connects consumer bank accounts to fintech applications through a set of developer APIs.

Latest Developments

Verified developments and timeline notes on file.

  • February 2026: Plaid secures a new funding round at an $8 billion valuation, reported to be aimed at providing employees liquidity for their shares. Latest
  • Company founded 2013 · founded Source
  • Development 2013 · development Source
  • Acquisition 2020 · acquisition Source
  • Funding 2021 · funding Source

Acquisitions

  • November 2020: The U.S. Department of Justice sues to block the Visa–Plaid merger on antitrust grounds.
  • January 2021: Visa and Plaid mutually terminate the merger agreement; Visa continues on as an investor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Plaid?

Plaid is a financial technology company that provides API infrastructure allowing consumer apps to securely connect to users' bank accounts for payments, authentication, and financial management.

Who founded Plaid?

Plaid was founded in 2013 in San Francisco by Zach Perret (CEO) and William Hockey.

What is Plaid Signal?

Plaid Signal is an AI-powered risk scoring engine that evaluates bank account transaction patterns, balance trends, and network history to predict ACH payment return risk and fraud in real time.

Sources & Verification

How this profile is verified and where the information comes from.

Verified
Last reviewed Aug 2026

Primary sources

Request a correction if you represent this company or believe information is inaccurate.