Celebrity-Backed Fintech for Teens, Step Receives $300M in Debt Funding

The app also launched a crypto trading feature, starting with bitcoin

By Brandy Betz

Oct 11, 2022 at 4:46 p.m. UTC

Updated Oct 11, 2022 at 5:44 p.m. UTC

CDCROP: TikTok star Charli D’Amelio promoting Step. (Step) — TikTok star Charli D’Amelio promoting Step. (Step)

Brandy Betz

Brandy covers crypto-related venture capital deals for CoinDesk.

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Youth-focused financial technology company Step has raised up to $300 million in debt funding led by Triplepoint Capital and Evolve Bank & Trust. The fresh capital will go toward building out the Step infrastructure and the launch of new products, according to the press release.

Step offers a secure Visa card that helps people under the age of 18 build up their credit history. With the funding round, Step launched a crypto investing feature that allows teens, with the permission of a parent or guardian, to buy and sell bitcoin (BTC) and receive Visa rewards in crypto denominations. Additional cryptos and stocks will be added to the service in the near future.

To date, Step has now raised over $500 million in equity and debt financing. Financial backers have included Crosslink Capital, payments firm Stripe, Coatue, General Catalyst, TikTok star Charl D’Amelio, actor Will Smith, and musicians Justin Timberlake and The Chainsmokers, among others.

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