Propel
Propel is a Brooklyn-based consumer technology company that operates a free mobile and web app for 5M+ low-income Americans to check EBT/SNAP balances, access curated savings, receive benefits-policy updates, and protect their benefits from theft across 49 states plus DC and U.S. territories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Propel does
Propel is a Brooklyn-based consumer technology company founded in 2014 (originally as Fresh EBT) that operates the leading mobile and web application for low-income Americans to manage federal and state benefits. The app connects directly to state EBT portals via end-to-end encryption across 49 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam, and delivers four core product surfaces to a base of 5M+ monthly users (1 in 4 SNAP households): instant EBT/SNAP/WIC balance checking with deposit predictions, a curated marketplace of exclusive savings offers (groceries, phone, utilities, healthcare), an in-app benefits-updates feed authored by an in-house policy team, and a security suite including EBT card locking, out-of-state and online transaction blocking, and an exclusive AI-powered suspicious-transaction-monitoring engine that flags skimming patterns and shares them with law enforcement.
Propel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Propel
- Legal name
- Propel Inc.
- Website
- https://propel.app
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Propel is a Brooklyn-based consumer technology company that operates a free mobile and web app for 5M+ low-income Americans to check EBT/SNAP balances, access curated savings, receive benefits-policy updates, and protect their benefits from theft across 49 states plus DC and U.S. territories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Propel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Government Benefits Management
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital/Hybrid RIAs (Robo-Enabled, Tech-Forward) (FSAAACAJ)
Keywords
Where Propel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Propel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Advertising on Propel App: Primary revenue stream. Propel monetizes through advertising and partnerships with brands (Shipt, Verizon, Walmart, Assurance Wireless) that promote savings to EBT cardholders. Top brands pay to market to Propel's 5M+ highly-active users; offerings include online sales, lead generation, brand awareness, and app installs across healthcare, grocery, telecom, and utilities verticals.
- Healthcare Plans & State Agency Partnerships: B2B revenue from health plans (Propel for Plans) and state agencies (Propel for States). Plans pay to engage member populations, encourage next best actions, retain members, and improve quality scores. State agencies pay to reduce Payment Error Rates, improve work-requirement compliance, and lower call center volume.
- Grants & Philanthropic Funding: Non-revenue but material capital: received $3.5M grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2024) to develop services for Americans navigating the social safety net.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Propel Consumer App - Free |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Propel for Brands / Ad Solutions - Quote-based |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Propel for Plans (Healthcare) - Quote-based |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Propel for States - Quote-based |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Propel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Propel operates a free consumer mobile and web app that connects to state EBT portals to help low-income Americans manage their SNAP/WIC/TANF benefits, including real-time balance checking, transaction history, deposit predictions, EBT card locking, and exclusive suspicious transaction monitoring. The company also sells B2B sub-products (Propel for Plans, Propel for States, and Propel Ad Solutions) that monetize its 5M+ user base through healthcare plan engagement, state agency partnerships, and advertising.
Product overview
Propel operates a single integrated consumer mobile/web app (the Propel App) augmented by several business-facing sub-products built on the same user base and engagement platform. The core Propel App combines EBT balance checking, exclusive offers, benefits updates, and EBT security into one experience for 5+ million low-income Americans. On top of that core, Propel sells Propel for Plans (health-plan member engagement), Propel for States (state SNAP/Medicaid agency partnership product), and Propel Ad Solutions (advertising/marketplace for brands). Supporting products include the Stop EBT Theft Hub (theft research), the Shutdown Emergency Relief Fund (one-time cash transfers), the Propel Insights & Pulse Surveys program, and the Propel Blog editorial resource — all of which feed back into the core app's value proposition.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Propel App Free mobile and web app that connects to state EBT portals to show users their EBT/SNAP/WIC/TANF balance, transaction history, and deposit predictions. Includes EBT card locking, out-of-state and online transaction blocking, and suspicious transaction monitoring. Used by 5+ million people; operates in 49 states plus DC, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.
- Propel for Plans
Quantifiable outcome
- 48% of Propel users have at least one security feature enabled; users are 5x more likely to enable anti-theft features than non-users; majority of anti-theft protection nationwide happens through Propel
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Propel
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Propel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability9 records
Feature7 records
Propel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Salesforce (Agentforce 360 ecosystem)corePropel develops specialized agent products on the Salesforce ecosystem (Agentforce 360); highlighted by Salesforce AppExchange CEO Brian Landsman at World Economic Forum in Davos as a real-world Agentforce partner.
- GiveDirectlyflagshipOperational partner for the 2025 SNAP shutdown emergency fund: Propel seeded $1M and partnered with GiveDirectly to raise and distribute additional funds. Funds delivered to ~230,000 eligible families via GiveCard prepaid debit cards ($50 one-time cash transfers).
- Robin Hood FoundationflagshipMajor donor to the 2025 SNAP shutdown emergency relief fund co-led with GiveDirectly; joined Propel and GiveDirectly to launch a $2 million emergency fund for SNAP recipients in New York.
- Share Our StrengthcoreDonor to the 2025 SNAP shutdown emergency relief fund managed by Propel and GiveDirectly.
- BabylistminorDonor partner to the 2025 SNAP shutdown emergency relief fund managed by Propel and GiveDirectly.
- SavvyminorDonor partner (savvy.insure) to the 2025 SNAP shutdown emergency relief fund managed by Propel and GiveDirectly.
- InsurifyminorDonor partner to the 2025 SNAP shutdown emergency relief fund managed by Propel and GiveDirectly.
- ByMaeminorDonor partner to the 2025 SNAP shutdown emergency relief fund managed by Propel and GiveDirectly.
- vote.orgcorePropel and vote.org partnered (and re-teamed up in 2024 per Forbes) to register SNAP users to vote.
- GoFundMecorePartner organization listed on About Us page; partnered with Propel for SNAP recipient support initiatives.
- Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES)coreState-level government partnership with Propel for States to optimize client communication around SNAP and Medicaid; impact brief published.
- ShiptcoreAdvertiser/brand partner on Propel's ad solutions platform; logo featured on Ad Solutions page as one of the top brands using Propel to market to SNAP/EBT cardholders.
- VerizoncoreAdvertiser/brand partner on Propel's ad solutions platform; markets affordable phone plans to Propel users.
- WalmartflagshipAdvertiser/brand partner on Propel's ad solutions platform; engages with SNAP shoppers.
- Assurance WirelesscoreAdvertiser/brand partner on Propel's ad solutions platform; offers free/discounted phone services to EBT recipients.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Propel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Possible: Possible is a mobile-first fintech building credit, banking, and money management tools specifically for underbanked Americans. Like Propel, it serves low-income consumers with a free app and monetizes via partnerships, and overlaps with Propel in the financial-health-for-low-income-Americans category.
- Dave Inc. Dave is a banking and earned-wage-access app targeted at working-class Americans living paycheck to paycheck. It overlaps with Propel's financial-health-for-low-income-consumer mission, freemium app model, and reliance on partner/affiliate monetization, though Dave's core product is cash advances rather than benefits management.
- Albert: Albert is a mobile financial wellness app offering banking, saving, and budgeting tools aimed at everyday Americans, with a freemium model and Genius subscription. It competes for the same low-to-middle-income audience and partners/affiliate monetization playbook as Propel.
- MoneyLion: MoneyLion is a mobile banking, lending, and investing platform targeting middle- and lower-income Americans. It shares Propel's audience of financially underserved consumers and freemium-plus-partner monetization, though MoneyLion's core is credit and banking rather than benefits management.
- Current: Current is a mobile-first neobank focused on everyday Americans, with features tailored to gig workers and benefits recipients (including early direct deposit). It overlaps with Propel in reaching the underbanked consumer with a free app and partner-driven monetization.
- Brigit: Brigit is a financial wellness app offering cash advances, budgeting, and identity protection for everyday Americans. It targets the same financial-vulnerable demographic as Propel and monetizes via subscription and partnerships.
- Earnin: Earnin is an earned-wage-access and financial-tools app for hourly workers and low-income consumers. It shares Propel's mission of improving financial health for working-class Americans and the freemium app-plus-partner monetization model.
Broad incumbents
- Varo Bank: Varo is a nationally chartered mobile bank serving mass-market and underbanked Americans with checking, savings, and credit products. It competes for the same end-customer as Propel but as a chartered bank rather than a benefits-management app.
- Chime: Chime is a large consumer fintech offering fee-free banking to everyday Americans, with a sizable portion of its user base overlapping with Propel's demographic. It is a broader incumbent in the same 'financial services for working Americans' category rather than a benefits-management competitor.
Others
- Benefits Data Trust: Benefits Data Trust is a nonprofit that helps low-income Americans enroll in public benefits like SNAP and Medicaid. It is comparable to Propel's policy/mission orientation and state-agency-facing work but operates as a nonprofit rather than a consumer tech company.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Propel social profiles
Digital presencePropel compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Propel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Propel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Propel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors18 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Propel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Propel
What does Propel do?
Propel operates a free consumer mobile and web app that connects to state EBT portals to help low-income Americans manage their SNAP/WIC/TANF benefits, including real-time balance checking, transaction history, deposit predictions, EBT card locking, and exclusive suspicious transaction monitoring. The company also sells B2B sub-products (Propel for Plans, Propel for States, and Propel Ad Solutions) that monetize its 5M+ user base through healthcare plan engagement, state agency partnerships, and advertising.
Is Propel a public or private company?
Propel is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Propel founded?
Propel was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Propel based?
Propel is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Propel make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising on Propel App is the primary driver. The others are healthcare Plans & State Agency Partnerships and grants & Philanthropic Funding.
Who are Propel's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Possible, Dave Inc., Albert, MoneyLion, Current, Brigit and Earnin. Broad incumbents are Varo Bank and Chime. Benefits Data Trust is listed as an others.
Does Propel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Propel.
What industry is Propel in?
Propel's product category is Government Benefits Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAACAJ, Digital/Hybrid RIAs (Robo-Enabled, Tech-Forward).