Acqui-hires Accelerate Growth for Marketplace Lending Platform Avant

April 18, 2016

CHICAGO, April 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Online lending platform Avant announced today it has recruited the key technical teams of two local technology startups, StudyCloud and TempoIQ, to support the company's next phase of growth. Avant recently surpassed $3 billion in loan originations and as growth continues for 2016, acqui-hires have become a strategic recruitment tool for locating specialized talent with skills such as data science and data engineering to scale Avant's technology team.

Leading technology companies like Groupon, Google and Facebook have notably used acqui-hires as a way to attract and retain employees with technical and specialty skills. To streamline access to top caliber talent, Avant has exercised several acqui-hires to date, including acquiring ReadyForZero's technology platform in March 2015. A number of employees have also founded their own companies or created apps prior to Avant.

"Acqui-hire transactions are a significant win-win for everyone involved. The acqui-hire trend affords members of the startup community to take a chance on their own vision as well as explore new opportunities across various industries," said Al Goldstein, CEO of Avant. "It also aligns us with individuals who possess specialized technical backgrounds and showcase an entrepreneurial spirit. To build and sustain a successful business your employees must exhibit key skills."

Avant maintains its entrepreneurial culture by encouraging employees to continue education through seminars, classes and conferences that will expand and refine their skill set. In the past year the company also launched the Avant Data Management Program (ADMP) to continue the development of technology leaders. The rotational program allows employees to move within a series of data-focused teams across the business and learn more about areas such as business intelligence, business analytics and product.

Avant has office locations in Chicago, Los Angeles and London and employs nearly 1,000 people. In less than a year, the Los Angeles team has grown from five to 50 employees while the global headquarters in Chicago recently moved into an 80,000 square foot space downtown. As the company continues to grow into a world-class technology brand, Avant maintains a focus on attracting top technical talent, including engineers and data scientists.

About Avant
Avant is a fast-growing marketplace lending platform that is lowering the costs and barriers of borrowing for consumers. Through the use of big data and machine-learning algorithms, the company offers a unique and highly customized approach to streamlined credit options. At its core, Avant is a tech company that is dedicated to creating innovative and practical financial products for all consumers. To date, Avant has secured more than $1.7 billion in funding and another $1.8 billion through its institutional marketplace. More than 500,000 loans have been issued worldwide through the Avant website, totaling more than $3 billion. Avant operates under the name AvantCredit in the United Kingdom and Canada. Avant has been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, TechCrunch, Fortune, Bloomberg and Crain's Chicago Business. In 2015, Avant was named to Forbes America's Most Promising Companies list as well as Forbes list of Next Billion Dollar Startups. Find out more at www.avant.com. Loans originated through the Avant platform are made by WebBank, a Utah industrial bank, and by affiliates of Avant.