Upside

upside.com

HQ: Washington, District of Columbia, United States

500

Advertising & Marketing

Company research

Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals

Updated Aug 16, 2026

Overview

Upside, formerly GetUpside, is a Washington, D.C.-based retail technology company operating a two-sided marketplace that connects consumers with brick-and-mortar retailers through personalized cash-back offers. Its platform uses transaction data and AI-driven personalization to generate measurable incremental sales and profit for retailers while giving consumers cash back on everyday purchases.

Primary product

Upside consumer cash-back app and retailer marketplace, including personalized promotions, Upside Pay, retailer analytics, and partner/API integrations.

Founded

2016

Headquarters

Washington, D.C., United States

Team size

201-500

Work style

Hybrid

Industry

Retail technology

Sub-industry

Cash-back rewards, retail media, location-based marketing, customer acquisition, and promotion management

Offices

Washington, D.C.

Austin, Texas

Chicago, Illinois

New York, New York

Business model

B2C consumer cash-back marketplace

B2B2C retail marketing platform

Performance-based profit sharing

API and strategic distribution partnerships

Funding

Stage

Series D / growth-stage private company

Total raised

$256M

Latest round

Series D equity plus venture debt · Apr 2022

Latest amount

$165M

Series D

Apr 2022 · General Catalyst

$65M

Venture debt

Apr 2022 · General Catalyst

$100M

Series C

Sep 2020 · Bessemer Venture Partners

$35M

Series B3 / later-stage venture

Jan 2020

Series B

Oct 2018

$50M

Series A

Nov 2015

$6M

People & investors

Leadership

Alex Kinnier

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

Wayne Lin

Co-founder and Chief Product Officer

Joanna Kochaniak

Co-founder and Distinguished Engineer; formerly Chief Technology Officer

Jan Rubio

Co-founder; Design

Rick McPhee

Co-founder and Chief Information Officer

Laura Ricucci

Chief People Officer

Daryl Ribeiro

Chief Financial Officer

Kiki Burton

Chief Growth Officer

Mike Jacobs

Chief Marketing Officer and President, Consumer

Chris Yager

Head of Engineering

Investors

Aramco Ventures

Bessemer Venture Partners

New Enterprise Associates

Venture Highway

Work & culture

Company materials emphasize transparency, honesty, ownership, learning, collaboration, inclusive hiring, employee resource groups, and a mission-driven focus on improving the economics of everyday brick-and-mortar commerce. Current job postings generally describe a hybrid model with in-office attendance Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for employees located near the main U.S. hubs, while some roles permit fully remote work.

Work style

Hybrid

Compensation

Public job postings provide location-adjusted salary ranges plus equity and benefits. Examples include approximately $145,000-$165,000 for a financial data analyst in Austin, Chicago, or Washington, D.C.; $160,000-$180,000 in New York; $150,000-$190,000 for a senior merchant analytics manager; and $285,000-$310,000 for general counsel. Visa sponsorship was not confirmed in the reviewed public materials.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Mental-health and emotional-support programs

Equity or incentive stock options

401(k) program

Unlimited paid time off

Paid federal holidays

Annual week-long winter break

Paid parental leave

Family-forming and fertility benefits through Carrot

Physical fitness and wellness memberships, including ClassPass

Learning and development stipend

Employee resource groups

Lunch reimbursement for in-office employees

Flexible work environment

Product & market

Pricing

Retailers join without upfront, monthly, or platform-access fees. Upside earns a share of verified incremental profit generated through its promotions. It uses test-versus-control measurement and charges only when it delivers profitable incremental transactions.

Differentiators

—Performance-based pricing tied to verified incremental profit rather than impressions, clicks, or all attributed sales
—One-to-one personalized offers based on transaction behavior
—Margin-bound promotions designed to remain profitable for retailers
—Test-versus-control measurement to distinguish incremental purchases from baseline activity
—Two-sided marketplace effects: consumers receive cash back while retailers acquire customers and increase visits
—No required changes to retailer operations, cashier workflows, POS systems, or store software
—Retailer exclusivity or competitor blocking within relevant marketplace contexts
—Large reported reach across more than 100,000 retail locations and approximately 35 million consumers
—Consumer and partner distribution through integrations with companies such as Uber, Chime, Instacart, Lyft, and Payfare

Technology

AI-driven personalization

Machine learning

Python

Transaction and behavioral data analytics

REST/API integrations

Cloud infrastructure

AES-256 encryption at rest

TLS 1.2 or higher in transit

Multi-factor authentication

Automated security monitoring

Customers

Fuel and convenience-store retailers

Grocery retailers

Restaurants and restaurant franchisees

Hardware stores

Taco Bell franchise groups

Schnucks

Giant Food

GetGo

Kum & Go

Carrabba’s

Uber

Lyft

Instacart

Chime

Payfare

Competitors

Dosh

Groupon

Ibotta

Fetch

RetailMeNot

GasBuddy

GasBuddy Pay with GasBuddy

Checkout 51

Quotient

Traditional loyalty and retail-media platforms

Scale & contact

Estimated revenue

$20 million-$50 million annually; third-party estimates range from approximately $21 million to $44.2 million, and should be treated as directional rather than company-reported financials.

Estimated monthly visits

1.4M

Traffic estimate as of May 2026

Signals & risks

Acquisition

Apr 2020

GetUpside acquired A-Frame Ventures. Terms were not disclosed; the transaction brought A-Frame co-founder Arman Ghosh into GetUpside and supported expansion into restaurants, convenience stores, grocery, and other verticals.

Source

Latest news

Our 2025 year in review

Upside · Jan 2026

Upside reported more than $250 million in consumer cash back during 2025, $707 million in incremental retailer profit, 128 million transactions, 111 million return visits, and 14,669 new retailer locations.

Upside Users Earn More than $1 Billion in Cash Back

Upside · Aug 2025

Upside announced that consumers had collectively earned more than $1 billion in cash back. The company said its offers reached approximately 35 million consumers across more than 100,000 retailers.

400% Surge in Taco Bell Locations on Upside Over the Past Year

Upside · Jun 2025

Upside reported that more than 1,500 Taco Bell franchise locations across 16 franchise groups were live on its platform, with participating locations reporting an average 79% ROI.

Upside Expands Leadership Team to Accelerate Growth and Market Impact

Upside · Sep 2024

Upside announced Kiki Burton as Chief Growth Officer and Mike Jacobs as Chief Marketing Officer and President, Consumer, citing goals of expanding retailer participation, transactions, and consumer engagement.

Upside Unveils Inaugural Consumer Spend Report

Upside · Aug 2024

Upside released research based on 1.1 billion transactions, more than 8,000 retail partners, and national consumer surveys. The report identified the rise of the value-oriented, cross-shopping 'uncommitted customer.'

Jobs and careers at Upside

17 jobs at Upside

Account Executive, SMB

On-site

Sales & Account Management

Remote; United States

1w ago

On-site

Full-time