Beyond Silicon Valley: Strivve's CUSO-Backed Model Wins Key Investment

SEATTLE, WA – July 30, 2026 – In a move that underscores a significant shift in FinTech funding, Strivve, Inc. today announced that Chartway Ventures is the lead investor in what the company anticipates will be its final capital raise. The investment, which also includes participation from existing partners Velera and Reseda Group, signals a powerful validation of Strivve's unique growth strategy—one that deliberately bypasses traditional venture capital in favor of a sustainable, industry-aligned model rooted in Credit Union Service Organizations (CUSOs).

This capital infusion is set to accelerate the expansion of Strivve's card-on-file technology, which automates how consumers update their payment information across countless online merchants. For the founders, however, the source of the funding is as important as the amount. Co-founders David Pool and Chris Hopen, both tech veterans, have long argued that the high-pressure, exit-driven world of venture capital is ill-suited for building foundational financial infrastructure.

"We've built a business designed for sustainable growth, not just headlines," said David Pool, Strivve co-founder. "The strategic backing of Velera, Reseda Group, and now Chartway Ventures reinforces our belief that fintech can thrive outside of the VC treadmill." This CUSO-led approach prioritizes long-term stability and deep strategic alignment over the rapid-growth-at-all-costs mentality prevalent in Silicon Valley.

A Different Path to FinTech Innovation

Strivve's funding model is a deliberate choice, built on partnerships with organizations that share its long-game vision. The investors are not just financiers; they are key players in the ecosystem Strivve serves. Chartway Ventures, the CUSO of Chartway Credit Union, joins Reseda Group (a CUSO of MSU Federal Credit Union) and Velera (the nation's premier payments CUSO), creating a powerful alliance of credit union-focused entities.

This structure provides Strivve with more than just capital; it offers invaluable industry expertise and a direct line to the needs of financial institutions and their members. For the CUSOs, investing in Strivve is a strategic move to empower the entire credit union ecosystem.

"Meeting members where they are means removing friction and making it easier to engage with their finances in everyday moments," said Rob Keatts, President of Chartway Ventures and EVP and Chief Growth Officer at Chartway Credit Union. "Strivve's technology does exactly that. Through Chartway Ventures, we're intentional about investing in innovative, scalable solutions that not only enhance the member experience, but also position our organization—and the broader credit union ecosystem—for long-term growth."

This symbiotic relationship ensures that Strivve's product development is laser-focused on solving real-world problems for issuers, helping them remain competitive against larger banks and well-funded neobanks that often have the resources to build similar automation tools in-house.

Winning the Battle for the 'Top of Wallet'

The digital commerce landscape has undergone a seismic shift. The tedious process of manually entering credit card details for a purchase, known as guest checkout, is rapidly becoming a relic. According to Visa, guest checkouts have plummeted from 44% of its e-commerce transactions in 2019 to an estimated 16% in fiscal 2025. Today, the vast majority of online spending flows through cards already saved on file.

This is the battleground for 'Top of Wallet' supremacy, and it's a fight issuers can't afford to lose. "As more and more spending moves to stored cards at online checkout, the card saved on file is the one that gets used," explained Chris Hopen, Strivve co-founder and CEO. "This investment lets us put more issuers in that position and give their cardholders a simple, secure way to keep their card working across the merchants they use most."

Strivve's Top of Wallet® platform and CardLinks™ technology tackle this challenge head-on. Using patented agentic AI developed over a decade, the platform automates the laborious task of updating payment information. A cardholder authenticates once within their banking app, selects the merchants they use, and Strivve's system navigates each website to securely place the new card as the default payment method—all without requiring complex and brittle API integrations with merchants.

The results are striking. Strivve serves over 200 issuer customers, with signed agreements covering nearly 100 million payment card accounts. In production, financial institutions report card placement success rates as high as 96%. A case study with MSU Federal Credit Union, whose CUSO Reseda Group is an investor, demonstrated a 12x return on investment, showcasing the platform's ability to drive tangible financial results through increased transaction volume and interchange revenue.

Empowering Credit Unions to Compete and Thrive

For credit unions, the stakes in the digital payments war are particularly high. Strivve's platform provides a critical tool to level the playing field, enabling them to offer a seamless, modern digital experience that strengthens member relationships and boosts their bottom line.

"Members shouldn't have to update their card merchant by merchant. Strivve makes it automatic," reiterated Rob Keatts. "Through Chartway Ventures, we invest in solutions that improve the member experience and scale across the credit union ecosystem. Strivve does both."

By simplifying card-on-file management, credit unions can dramatically increase card usage, capture more of their members' spending, and solidify their position as the primary financial institution. Every successful card placement creates a recurring stream of interchange revenue and, more importantly, reduces the risk of card attrition. A member who has their credit union card saved across all their favorite services is far less likely to switch to a competitor.

The Next Frontier: Agentic Commerce

With its final capital raise secured, Strivve is not just focused on expanding its current offerings but is also looking toward the next evolution of e-commerce. The company is actively extending its platform to support 'agentic commerce'—a future where AI assistants and smart devices will shop and pay on behalf of consumers.

Anticipating a world where, as Gartner predicts, AI agents could handle 10% of online checkouts by 2030, Strivve is positioning its technology to ensure issuer cards can be provisioned as the default payment method within these new AI-driven ecosystems. By supporting emerging standards like the Visa-led Trusted Agent Protocol (TAP), Strivve is future-proofing its platform and ensuring its financial institution partners remain at the forefront of payment innovation.

This forward-looking strategy, combined with its proven technology and unique CUSO-backed model, cements Strivve's position as a critical infrastructure partner for financial institutions navigating the complexities of modern digital commerce.