Co-founded by Irish-born Daragh Murphy, the New York-based start-up made an estimated $25m in revenue last year.
Imprint, a payments start-up co-founded by entrepreneur Daragh Murphy, could become the next Irish-founded unicorn according to a list curated by Forbes.
In its latest Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2024 list published last week, Forbes included New York-based Imprint as one of 25 venture-backed start-ups that are most likely to become a unicorn – that is, reach a $1bn valuation.
Irish-born Murphy, who is the CEO, founded Imprint with Gaurav Ahuja in 2020. Murphy studied law in UCD and was previously the vice-president of operations and strategy at workspace provider WeWork.
The US-headquartered company helps consumers to shop with their preferred brands and receive rewards. Imprint works with various brands to design, launch and manage co-branded credit card programmes.
Following a year of high growth and new partnerships with big players such as HEB, Holiday Inn Club Vacations and Westgate Resorts, Imprint raised $75m in a Series B funding round last November to bolster its capital and reach new clients.
The funding round was led by Ribbit Capital which has been involved in various funding rounds over in recent years, backing companies such as Robinhood, Vivid Money and Plaid. In 2021, it raised $38m in a Series A funding round led by VC firm Kleiner Perkins. Other investors in that funding round included Stripe and chat show host James Corden.
According to Forbes, Imprint has raised $161m in equity so far. Its estimated revenue last year was $25m. “Every consumer brand seems to have its own credit card these days, and at least some of those are thanks to Imprint,” the Forbes description reads.
“The New York City start-up uses proprietary technology to help customers … launch their own cards more quickly. Unlike traditional banks, Imprint’s tech can tailor rewards and discounts to individual people and their spending habits – nudging them to spend more.”
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