GigaPoints

GigaPoints operated as a financial technology firm focused on the credit card comparison market, founded in 2019 by serial entrepreneur Erik Budde. The company was established to address the challenge consumers face in selecting the optimal credit card from a complicated marketplace often populated by sponsored reviews and advertising. Budde, a Stanford Business School graduate with a product management background at tech companies like Yahoo and Intuit, drew from his personal passion for maximizing credit card rewards for travel to create the venture. His prior experience included successfully building and selling two other companies, one of which was acquired by IAC.

The core of the business was a platform that utilized artificial intelligence to analyze a user's actual spending habits. By processing this data, the system provided personalized recommendations for credit cards that would yield the most substantial rewards based on an individual's lifestyle and purchasing patterns. This data-driven approach was the company's primary differentiator, aiming to offer objective and mathematically sound advice to its users. The business served consumers in the United States looking to make informed decisions about their credit card portfolios.

In October 2020, GigaPoints secured $1.5 million in a seed funding round to further develop its technology and expand its user base. The company was headquartered in San Carlos, California. Despite its initial funding and clear value proposition, the company ceased operations in October 2024.

Keywords: credit card rewards, financial technology, personal finance, rewards optimization, credit card comparison, consumer finance, AI-powered finance, spending analysis, fintech startup, Erik Budde, maximizing rewards, card recommendation engine, data-driven finance, financial services, consumer tech, seed funding, out of business, venture capital, loyalty programs, points optimization