Upsolve
Upsolve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a free, self-service web platform enabling low-income Americans to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy without an attorney, and is launching Upsolve Assist, an AI-powered financial counselor, in January 2025.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Upsolve does
Upsolve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 out of Harvard Law School's Access to Justice Lab to address the access-to-justice gap in consumer bankruptcy. Its core product is a free, self-service web application that guides low-income Americans through Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing using a plain-English questionnaire that generates court-ready petition documents, followed by an internal quality review before the user files at their local court. The product is positioned as "TurboTax for Bankruptcy" and has been used by 25,000+ filers to eliminate more than $1.1 billion in debt since 2018, with a 99% success rate for completed cases and a 4.9/5 user rating across 3,100+ reviews.
The platform is augmented by a content and education footprint — a Learning Center with state-specific guides and articles, active social channels, and a 2.9M annual reach — that functions as the primary top-of-funnel acquisition channel. Upsolve is currently developing Upsolve Assist, an AI-powered financial counselor funded by a $4.2M seed grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in September 2024, with a planned January 2025 launch to extend the platform into broader personalized debt management and credit guidance for low-income users beyond the bankruptcy filing funnel.
Revenue mechanics are philanthropic rather than commercial: Upsolve charges users $0, with no upsells, premium tiers, or monetization hooks, and is funded entirely by foundations and government grants (Gates, Robin Hood, Y Combinator, Legal Services Corporation, Fast Forward, Annie E. Casey, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Eric Schmidt, and others). GTM is product-led and self-serve: users discover Upsolve through organic search and earned media, complete a 2-minute eligibility screener, and proceed through the filing process independently. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY with 11-50 employees, and operates nationwide.
Upsolve firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upsolve
- Legal name
- Upsolve, Inc.
- Website
- https://upsolve.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Upsolve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a free, self-service web platform enabling low-income Americans to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy without an attorney, and is launching Upsolve Assist, an AI-powered financial counselor, in January 2025.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Upsolve industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Aid Technology
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bankruptcy Counseling & Pre-Filing Education (FSAEAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Restructuring Servicing (Consumer) (FSAKAJAK), Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP) (FSAKAJAH)
Keywords
Where Upsolve is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Upsolve business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Funding: Upsolve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded entirely by philanthropy and government grants. The organization never charges users and does not monetize through the service. Funders include Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robin Hood Foundation, Legal Services Corporation, Y Combinator, and other leading foundations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Bankruptcy Filing Tool |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Upsolve product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Upsolve provides a free, self-service web application that helps low-income Americans prepare and file Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions without an attorney. The guided tool collects user financial information through plain-English questionnaires, generates complete bankruptcy forms, performs quality-assurance review, and helps users file at their local court. The organization is also developing Upsolve Assist, an AI-powered financial counselor for personalized debt management and credit guidance.
Product overview
Upsolve is a nonprofit technology organization offering a portfolio of financial relief tools for low-income Americans. Its primary product is the Free Bankruptcy Filing Tool, a self-service document assembly application (described as 'TurboTax for bankruptcy') that guides users through Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing at no cost. The company is also developing Upsolve Assist, an AI-powered financial counselor announced in September 2024 with a planned January 2025 launch, which will provide personalized debt management and credit guidance. Upsolve also maintains a Learning Center with educational content about bankruptcy and debt management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Upsolve Assist: AI-powered financial counselor for low-income Americans providing personalized debt management and credit guidance, expected to launch in January 2025.
Products and services
- Upsolve Free Bankruptcy Filing Tool A self-service web application that helps low-income Americans prepare and file Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions at no cost. The tool guides users through a 2-minute eligibility screener, a plain-English financial questionnaire, automated bankruptcy form generation, human quality-assurance review for completeness and legibility, and preparation of all required documents for filing at the user's local court.
- Upsolve Assist An AI-powered financial counseling tool designed for low-income Americans that provides personalized debt management and credit guidance. The system uses generative AI and recommendation algorithms to deliver conversational, tailored financial advice to users.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25,000+ families eliminated $1.1B+ in debt since 2018
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Upsolve
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Upsolve technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
Upsolve partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Harvard Law School Access to Justice LabcoreUpsolve originated as a research project at Harvard Law School's Access to Justice Lab. Lab conducted initial RCT on bankruptcy barriers and validated Upsolve's model.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Upsolve competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Clearpoint Credit Counseling Solutions: Clearpoint is a nonprofit credit counseling agency providing debt management plans, bankruptcy pre-filing education, and financial counseling. It serves a similar low- to moderate-income consumer base as Upsolve but with a heavier reliance on human counselors and DMP fee income.
- GreenPath Financial Wellness: GreenPath is a HUD-approved nonprofit credit counseling agency providing debt management plans, credit counseling, and bankruptcy pre-filing education. Like Upsolve, it serves financially distressed consumers but does so primarily via human counselors rather than self-serve software.
- Money Management International (MMI): MMI is one of the largest nonprofit credit counseling agencies in the US, offering debt management plans, housing counseling, and bankruptcy pre-filing certificates. It is the closest peer to Upsolve's bankruptcy counseling mission, but operates on a DMP-fee model rather than pure philanthropy.
- InCharge Debt Solutions: InCharge is a nonprofit credit counseling organization offering debt management plans, housing counseling, and bankruptcy pre-filing education. It is comparable to Upsolve as a fee-based/grant-supported credit counseling nonprofit serving similar low-income consumer populations.
- SoloSuit: SoloSuit provides self-service tools to help consumers respond to debt lawsuits and file related paperwork, including bankruptcy-adjacent forms. It competes with Upsolve for the same low- and middle-income consumer segment but monetizes via paid services, whereas Upsolve is free.
Emerging players
- Credit Karma: Credit Karma is a free consumer credit and financial health platform that helps users monitor credit, understand debt, and access debt-relief resources. It overlaps with Upsolve Assist's upcoming AI financial-counselor proposition for low- and middle-income consumers, though Credit Karma monetizes via lead-gen rather than philanthropy.
- Possible Finance: Possible Finance is a fintech providing small-dollar credit-building loans and a financial health app to underbanked Americans. It targets the same low-income, thin-file consumer segment as Upsolve and represents an emerging for-profit adjacent to Upsolve's mission.
- Dave: Dave is a financial wellness app targeting low-income Americans with earned-wage access, budgeting, and credit-building tools. It overlaps with Upsolve's low-income persona and the Upsolve Assist financial-counseling proposition, though Dave operates as a for-profit subscription business.
Broad incumbents
- National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC): NFCC is the largest national umbrella organization for nonprofit credit counseling agencies in the US, of which Upsolve is functionally an alternative. It sets industry standards, certifies counselors, and routes consumers to member agencies — making it the broad-incumbent counterpart to Upsolve's direct-service model.
- Legal Aid Society: The Legal Aid Society is the largest provider of free civil legal services in New York, including bankruptcy and debt-related representation. It is comparable to Upsolve as a free, mission-aligned legal aid provider serving low-income New Yorkers, but it relies on staff attorneys rather than self-serve software.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Upsolve social profiles
Digital presenceUpsolve financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upsolve leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Upsolve funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Upsolve 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 Upsolve
What does Upsolve do?
Upsolve provides a free, self-service web application that helps low-income Americans prepare and file Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions without an attorney. The guided tool collects user financial information through plain-English questionnaires, generates complete bankruptcy forms, performs quality-assurance review, and helps users file at their local court. The organization is also developing Upsolve Assist, an AI-powered financial counselor for personalized debt management and credit guidance.
Is Upsolve a public or private company?
Upsolve is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Upsolve founded?
Upsolve was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Upsolve based?
Upsolve is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Upsolve make money?
One revenue line is on record: philanthropic Funding.
Who are Upsolve's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Clearpoint Credit Counseling Solutions, GreenPath Financial Wellness, Money Management International (MMI), InCharge Debt Solutions and SoloSuit. Emerging players are Credit Karma, Possible Finance and Dave. Broad incumbents are National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) and Legal Aid Society.
Does Upsolve have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upsolve.
What industry is Upsolve in?
Upsolve's product category is Legal Aid Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEAFAG, Bankruptcy Counseling & Pre-Filing Education, with a secondary code of FSAKAJAK, Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Restructuring Servicing (Consumer). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 7372.