Lead Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Lead was acquired by Luna Parent for $56M in August 2022.

See full Lead profile

Lead acquisition price

$56M

Acquired by Luna Parent · Aug 2022

Lead revenue

$80M

Series A · Aug 2022

Cumulative funding Lead raised

$170M

across 2 funding rounds

Key investors in Lead

  • Andreessen Horowitz
  • Khosla Ventures
  • Coatue
  • Ribbit Capital
  • Zeev Ventures
  • Greycroft

Lead Overview

About Lead

Lead is a Kansas City-headquartered digital bank offering personal and business accounts. Its Banking-as-a-Service platform enables fintech partners to launch lending, cards, and transfer products. Founded in 2016, Lead powers embedded finance for apps like Dave and Current, processing billions in transactions annually.


Founded

1928

HQ

United StatesKansas City, MO

Website

lead.bank

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2C & B2B

Revenue model

Subscription

Revenue

$80M (Aug 2022)

Valuation

$1.5B (Sep 2025)

Lead Acquisition

Lead was acquired by Luna Parent for $56M on 1 August 2022.

Before the acquisition Lead had raised $170M across 2 funding rounds.

Luna Parent, Inc., an investor group led by former Square Capital executive Jacqueline Reses, acquired Lead Bank, an independent community bank headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, for $56 million in August 2022. Lead Bank was founded in 1928 and had evolved into a community-focused institution with emerging fintech capabilities. The acquisition was announced May 16, 2022, received regulatory approval in June 2022, and closed on August 1, 2022—remarkably fast by banking standards. Luna Parent acquired Lead Bank as a shell company structure (specifically an Industrial Loan Company bank charter) to expand banking-as-a-service (BaaS) programs serving fintechs and digital asset companies. Under new ownership, Lead Bank ramped up its fintech-focused banking services while maintaining community banking operations in the Kansas City metro area. The acquisition proved successful; by September 2025, Lead Bank had completed a $70 million Series B funding round at a $1.47 billion valuation, with 2024 revenue reported at $180 million and net profit at $22 million.

Lead acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePrice
  • Luna Parent
1 Aug 2022Strategic M&A$56M

Lead Valuation

Lead is currently valued at $1.5B, based on its Series B in September 2025.

The $70M round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures, with participation from ICONIQ Capital, Zeev Ventures, Greycroft, Ribbit Capital and Coatue.

Lead's valuation has grown 1.3x from $1.1B at its Series A in August 2022 to $1.5B in September 2025, across 2 priced rounds.

Lead valuation by funding round

Revenue multiple
Lead valuation by funding round
DateStageValuationRevenue Multiple
Sep 2025Series B$1.5B-
Aug 2022Series A$1.1B13.8x

Lead Revenue

Lead's latest recorded revenue is $80M, as of its Series A in August 2022. At a $1.1B valuation, that implies a 13.8x revenue multiple.

Lead revenue by funding round

Lead revenue and valuation multiple by funding round
DateRevenue *ValuationRevenue MultipleStage
Aug 2022$80M$1.1B13.8xSeries A

* Revenue (or ARR) figures are the values recorded alongside each funding round. Typically run-rate revenue at the time of the deal, or a reported LTM (last 12 months) revenue.

Lead Funding History

Lead has raised a total of $170M across 2 funding rounds.

Lead's first fundraising round was a $100M Series A in August 2022. The most recent completed round was a $70M Series B in September 2025.

Lead funding rounds

Lead funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Sep 2025Series BAndreessen Horowitz (lead); Khosla Ventures (lead); ICONIQ Capital; Zeev Ventures; Greycroft; Ribbit Capital; Coatue$70M$1.5B-
Aug 2022Series AZeev Ventures; Christian Edler; Khosla Ventures; Andreessen Horowitz; Ribbit Capital; Coatue$100M$1.1BLEAD School, an Indian edtech startup previously known as LEAD School and focused on transforming core schooling with tech-integrated solutions for K-12 education, raised $100 million in a Series E funding round in January 2022, achieving a post-money valuation of $1.1 billion and becoming the first edtech unicorn of 2022. The round was led by WestBridge Capital with participation from GSV Ventures, marking a significant investment that doubled the company's valuation in nine months and brought its total funding to around $170 million. The funding will support LEAD's vision of providing quality affordable education to over 25 million students, with immediate priorities on product and curriculum innovation, expanding its footprint, and hiring top talent. Long-term plans include deeper penetration into lower-fee schools in India and international expansion. For the 2022-23 academic year, LEAD projected operations across 5,000 schools in over 500 cities, serving nearly 2 million students, with a reported annual revenue run-rate of $80 million and ambitions to scale that to $1 billion. LEAD emphasized its strong growth despite COVID disruptions, driven by a consumer-first approach and focus on measurable learning outcomes, which attracted investor interest. WestBridge Capital's Managing Director Sandeep Singhal highlighted LEAD as India's largest school edtech provider. The company positions itself uniquely in committing to and delivering improvements in student outcomes, operating in India's vast education market with over 250 million school-going students where parental spending on education is high. This Series E was the fifth institutional funding since 2017, underscoring rapid adoption over the prior four years.

Who has invested in Lead?

8 investors have backed Lead across its funding rounds, including Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Coatue, Ribbit Capital, Zeev Ventures and Greycroft.

Lead investors include Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures.


Lead Investors

Investors in Lead by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Zeev VenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantAug 2022
Khosla VenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2LeadAug 2022
Andreessen HorowitzUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2LeadAug 2022
Ribbit CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA2ParticipantAug 2022
CoatueUnited StatesNew York City, NY2ParticipantAug 2022
ICONIQ CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantSep 2025

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Lead Competitors

Lead competitors include listed companies like Wealthfront and Avarda Bank, and private ones like Kapital, bunq, WeBank and OakNorth.

Public and private companies comparable to Lead
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
KapitalMexicoMexico CityPrivate--$1.3B-
bunqNetherlandsAmsterdamPrivate$38M-$1.9B-
WeBankChinaShenzhenPrivate--$941M-
OakNorthUnited KingdomManchesterPrivate--$2.8B-
WealthfrontUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$365M($93M)$1.6B4.2x
Avarda BankSwedenSwedenPublicly listed$293M-$1.4B3.8x
Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueLast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Oman Arab Bank$361M4.0x4.0x--
Lakeland Financial$269M5.5x5.2x--
United Bank for Africa$1.4B1.1x0.6x--
Co-operative Bank of Kenya Ltd$705M2.1x---
Ahlibank$306M4.7x4.7x--
Esquire Bank$147M10.2x7.8x--
Kuwait International Bank$326M4.4x---
Triumph Financial$424M3.6x3.3x--

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Common questions about Lead

When was Lead founded?Lead was founded in 1928.
Where is Lead headquartered?Lead is headquartered in Kansas City, MO, United States.
Is Lead publicly listed?No, Lead was acquired by Luna Parent in August 2022.
Who acquired Lead?Lead was acquired by Luna Parent in August 2022.
How much was Lead acquired for?Lead was acquired for $56M in August 2022.
What is Lead's valuation?Lead was last valued at $1.5B in its Series B in September 2025.
How much funding has Lead raised?Lead has raised $170M across 2 funding rounds.
What was Lead's last funding round?Lead's last funding round was a $70M Series B in September 2025, led by Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures.
Who are Lead's investors?Lead's investors include Zeev Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Ribbit Capital, Coatue, ICONIQ Capital, Christian Edler and Greycroft.
What is Lead's revenue?Lead's latest recorded revenue is $80M (August 2022).
What is Lead's revenue multiple?Lead's latest valuation implies a 13.8x revenue multiple ($1.1B valuation on $80M of revenue).
Which companies are comparable to Lead?Companies comparable to Lead include Kapital, bunq, WeBank, OakNorth, Wealthfront and Avarda Bank.

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