Celo Valuation, Funding & Investors

Celo is valued at $750M as of April 2019.

See full Celo profile

Last Celo valuation

$750M

Undisclosed stage · Apr 2019

Last Celo funding round

$20M

Undisclosed stage · Feb 2021

Cumulative funding Celo raised

$67M

across 4 funding rounds

Key investors in Celo

  • Andreessen Horowitz
  • Greenfield
  • General Catalyst
  • Coinbase Ventures
  • Polychain
  • Lakestar

Celo Overview

About Celo

Celo is an open blockchain platform designed for fast, secure digital payments to mobile phone numbers. Its ecosystem includes the Celo blockchain, the CELO token, and the cUSD stablecoin, along with a mobile wallet that lets users send peer-to-peer transfers using phone numbers, with early adoption in markets such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Argentina. The platform has since expanded beyond payments to support trading, lending, borrowing, and saving applications built by third-party developers.


Founded

2018

HQ

United StatesUnited States

Website

celo.org

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2C

Revenue model

Product sales, Subscription

Valuation

$750M (Apr 2019)

Celo Valuation

Celo is currently valued at $750M, based on its undisclosed-stage round in April 2019.

The $30M round was led by a16z crypto and Polychain, with participation from Greenfield and 9Yards Capital.

Celo valuation by funding round

Celo valuation by funding round
DateStageValuation
Apr 2019Undisclosed stage$750M

Celo Funding History

Celo has raised a total of $67M across 4 funding rounds.

Celo's first fundraising round was a $7M Series A in June 2018. The most recent completed round was a $20M undisclosed-stage round in February 2021.

Celo funding rounds

Celo funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Feb 2021Undisclosed stageAndreessen Horowitz; Greenfield; Electric Capital$20M-Celo is an open-platform blockchain built for fast, secure, and stable digital payments to mobile numbers. The ecosystem includes the Celo Platform (a decentralized proof-of-stake blockchain), the CELO token, the cUSD stablecoin, and the Celo Alliance for Prosperity comprising over 100 organizations including Andreesen Horowitz, Anchorage, Coinbase, GSMA, Mercy Corps, Grameen Foundation, and cLabs. By 2021, Celo had expanded beyond its original peer-to-peer payments use case to enable trading, lending, borrowing, saving, and earning rewards. The ecosystem grew substantially in 2021, with the number of developers on the Celo blockchain rising 619% to 3,957 and active builders increasing 637% to 848. Community initiatives including the launch of ReSource (a mutual credit protocol) and Kickstarter's announcement of a decentralized version on Celo demonstrated ecosystem expansion. By 2023, Celo had recorded 324 million total transactions (up from 200 million in 2022 and 71 million in 2021), generated 3.9 million total active addresses, and reached a peak of 275 transactions per second. The Celo Foundation reported $10.6 million in total expenses for 2023, a 53% decrease from 2022, and continued to fund operations primarily through programmatic sales of CELO assets from its treasury.
May 2020ICO-$10M--
Apr 2019Undisclosed stagea16z crypto (lead); Polychain (lead); Greenfield; 9Yards Capital$30M$750MCelo, created by A Protocol Inc. (cLabs), is an open-source mobile-first blockchain platform designed to make decentralized financial services accessible via smartphone. The platform includes Celo Gold, a native digital asset, and Celo Dollar, a dollar-pegged stablecoin backed by a collateral reserve. The company developed a user-friendly mobile wallet enabling peer-to-peer transfers and payments using phone numbers, with early pilots launched in Kenya, Tanzania, and Argentina targeting emerging markets. In April 2019, Celo raised $30 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Crypto) and Polychain Capital, with participation from Greenfield Capital, at a post-money valuation of $750 million. This followed a $6.5 million seed round in June 2018 backed by a16z, Coinbase Ventures, General Catalyst, Social Capital, Lakestar, and prominent individual investors including Jack Dorsey, Naval Ravikant, and Reid Hoffman. By early 2020, Celo had closed an additional $20 million funding round with a16z, Greenfield One, and Electric Capital at a $1 billion valuation, followed by a $10 million token sale in April 2020 concurrent with mainnet launch, bringing total funding to over $65 million.
Jun 2018Series ALinda Xie; General Catalyst; Julia Popowitz; Jack Dorsey; Coinbase Ventures; Future Perfect Ventures; Naval Ravikant; Avichal Garg; Kilowatt Capital LLC; Andreessen Horowitz; Curious Endeavors; Lakestar$7M-Celo raised $6.5 million in a seed round on June 22, 2018, with investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Coinbase Ventures, General Catalyst, Lakestar, Jack Dorsey, and Naval Ravikant. Some sources list the date as June 25 or 27, 2018. The round matched the specified investors such as Avichal Garg, Curious Endeavors, Future Perfect Ventures, Julia Popowitz, Kilowatt Capital LLC, and Linda Xie.

Who has invested in Celo?

17 investors have backed Celo across its funding rounds, including Andreessen Horowitz, Greenfield, General Catalyst, Coinbase Ventures, Polychain and Lakestar.

Lead investors include a16z crypto and Polychain.


Celo Investors

Investors in Celo by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Andreessen HorowitzUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantJun 2018
GreenfieldGermanyBerlin2ParticipantApr 2019
Linda XieUnited StatesUnited States1ParticipantJun 2018
General CatalystUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJun 2018
a16z cryptoUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1LeadApr 2019
Julia PopowitzUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJun 2018
Jack DorseyUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJun 2018
Coinbase VenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJun 2018
Future Perfect VenturesUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantJun 2018
Naval RavikantUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJun 2018
Avichal GargUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJun 2018
Kilowatt Capital LLCUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJun 2018
Curious EndeavorsUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantJun 2018

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Acquisitions by Celo

Celo has acquired 1 company to date.

Last acquisition by Celo was on August 13th 2020. Celo acquired Summa for undisclosed valuation.


Latest Acquisitions by Celo

Summa
Description
-
HQ CountryUnited States
HQ City
-
Deal Date13 Aug 2020
Valuationundisclosed
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Celo Competitors

Celo competitors include listed companies like Sinodata, Global Infotech, IRESS and Sunyard Technology, and private ones like Zebec and Upvest.

Public and private companies comparable to Celo
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
ZebecUnited StatesSan Francisco, CAPrivate$20M-$1B50.0x
SinodataChinaChinaPublicly listed$128M($8M)$748M-
Global InfotechChinaChinaPublicly listed$154M$7M$747M-
IRESSAustraliaAustraliaPublicly listed$396M$103M$754M2.3x
UpvestGermanyGermanyPrivate$115M-$735M6.4x
Sunyard TechnologyChinaChinaPublicly listed$307M$10M$722M-

Celo Public Comps

Celo is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Sinodata, Global Infotech, IRESS, Sunyard Technology, Mitek Systems, BitGo Holdings, Fujian Apex Software, Shanghai Amarsoft, PEXA Group and Alfa Financial Software.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Sinodata$128M($8M)5.6x-(84.9x)-
Global Infotech$154M$7M4.8x-106.4x-
IRESS$396M$103M2.1x2.3x8.2x8.3x
Sunyard Technology$307M$10M2.2x-69.2x-
Mitek Systems$180M$37M4.1x3.7x19.9x11.2x
BitGo Holdings$16B($9M)0.1x5.5x(125.1x)125.4x
Fujian Apex Software$87M$28M7.6x7.8x23.6x24.0x
Shanghai Amarsoft$153M$8M4.6x-90.4x-

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Common questions about Celo

When was Celo founded?Celo was founded in 2018.
Where is Celo headquartered?Celo is headquartered in United States.
Is Celo publicly listed?No, Celo is a private, VC-backed company.
What is Celo's valuation?Celo was last valued at $750M in its undisclosed-stage round in April 2019.
How much funding has Celo raised?Celo has raised $67M across 4 funding rounds.
What was Celo's last funding round?Celo's last funding round was a $20M undisclosed-stage round in February 2021.
Who are Celo's investors?Celo's investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Greenfield, Linda Xie, General Catalyst, a16z crypto, Julia Popowitz, Jack Dorsey, Coinbase Ventures, Future Perfect Ventures, Naval Ravikant and 7 others.
Which companies are comparable to Celo?Companies comparable to Celo include Zebec, Sinodata, Global Infotech, IRESS, Upvest and Sunyard Technology.
How many companies has Celo acquired?Celo has acquired 1 company, including Summa.

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