/Companies

Chariot

YC S22

New York City, US · Founded 2022 · 24 employees · Hiring · 15 known investors

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Chariot builds financial infrastructure for donor-advised fund (DAF) giving, connecting donors, nonprofits, and platforms to enable faster, verified charitable donations and payouts. The company serves nonprofits, individual donors, and DAF providers seeking to streamline and expand charitable giving.

Also known as Chariot Giving, Inc. · StreamD · Chariot Giving · givechariot

FintechImpact & Social GoodSaaSPaymentsNonprofitB2BUnited States of AmericaAmerica / Canada

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S22)

Chariot was founded in 2022 by Salomon Serfati, Aaron Kahane, and Drew Schneider.

SSSalomon Serfati
Salomon SerfatiCo-Founder, CEOSalo Serfati is CEO of Chariot. He previously worked as a backend engineer at BlackRock and founding engineer at Forage, and holds a degree in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania.
AKAaron Kahane
Aaron KahaneCOO and Co-FounderHe previously worked as a consultant at Bain & Company on technology and telecommunications sector analysis for a large hedge fund, and holds a degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
DSDrew Schneider
Drew SchneiderCo-Founder & CPODrew Schneider served as a consultant at Bain & Company, where he conducted due diligence on healthcare software systems, and holds a degree in Human-Centered Design from Dartmouth College. He is currently Chief Product Officer at Chariot with expertise in UI/UX design and design workflows.
SS
Salo SerfatiFounder
MM
Matthew MagaldiLead Engineer
EP
Elon PackinLead Partnerships
MS
Mitch SteinLead Strategy
KV
Kate VBLead Peopleformer
AS
Ania SielskiLead Peopleformer
AD
Alicia DonenfeldLead Peopleformer
CS
Clayton SmithPeopleformer

Investors · 15

Maveronlisted by MaveronSeattle · $100K – $8M

How we know: Maveron's portfolio page · a partner's Signal profile · press coverage · the VCSheet dataset · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Andreessen HorowitzreportedMenlo Park · $500K – $50M

How we know: funding news · press coverage · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

CV advisorsreportedMiami

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Glade Brook Capital PartnersreportedGreenwich

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

SV AngelreportedSan Francisco · $150K – $20M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Teamworthy VenturesreportedNew York

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

Chariot develops financial infrastructure for donor-advised fund (DAF) giving, connecting donors, nonprofits, DAF providers and fundraising platforms through DAF donations, faster payouts and built-in verification. Its product line has three parts: DAFpay, a DAF payment option embedded in nonprofit donation flows; Gift Processing, a platform for unifying, enriching and syncing offline gifts that supports gift-entry and accounting teams with custom tables, policies, export templates, a digital mailbox and custom payment sources; and Disbursements, a grant-payment workflow for grantmakers that combines electronic account transfers and mailed checks in a single system.

The Disbursements product accepts grant details via CSV upload or API (requiring only EINs and grant amounts) and can reach domestic nonprofits, with real-time tracking of transfers and checks. Chariot layers compliance and payment controls on top: IRS good-standing validation, OFAC/AML screening, state-level requirement surfacing, mailing-address diligence, stop-pay and positive-pay check protections, and bank account verification that confirms account-owner identity and control-person status with recurring revalidation. Additional features include custom grant letters, automated resolution of voided and returned checks, a continuously updated nonprofit and church database, multi-layer approval workflows, automatic grantee notifications and verified church payments. Chariot also operates supporting programs beyond software, including nationwide campaigns such as DAF Day and original research and educational resources for nonprofit professionals. It publishes API documentation, a help center and a Chariot MCP server.

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Annual grant volume sent by grantmakers using Chariot DisbursementsJan 2026$1B
Eligible domestic nonprofits reachable via DisbursementsJan 20261,400,000 nonprofits
Fundraising platform partnersJan 202670 partners
Funds added to nonprofit fundraisingJan 2026$200M
Grants paid in the six weeks following a customer onboardingJan 202621,000 grants
Growth in grant volume in 2025Jan 2025103%
HeadcountAug 202648
Nonprofits supportedJan 202660,000 nonprofits
Reduction in time spent on grant payment operations (customer result)Jan 202693%
Share of grant payments sent electronically since Disbursements launchJan 202689.2%
Stated industry potential (DAF giving)Jan 2026$326B

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Related companies · 10

DaffyDaffy is a flat-fee, app-based donor-advised fund platform for charitable giving in cash, stock and crypto.
CharityvestCharityvest offers a donor-advised fund platform for individuals and corporations to make tax-efficient charitable contributions in multiple asset types, invest those balances for growth, and distribute grants to charities. The service consolidates tax documentation while providing access to over a million nonprofit organizations.
GiveffectGiveffect provides a peer-to-peer and team fundraising platform for nonprofits, enabling organizations to recruit team leaders and coordinate fundraising campaigns through customizable, branded campaign pages. The software integrates CRM functionality, donor tracking, payment processing, and real-time analytics to simplify nonprofit fundraising operations.
GoFundMeGoFundMe is an online fundraising platform, launched in 2010, that lets individuals and organizations raise money and support each other. Through its 2022 acquisition of Classy, now GoFundMe Pro, it also provides fundraising software for nonprofit organizations.
New StoryNew Story enables homeownership for underserved populations in Latin America through innovative financing and land development, creating sustainable communities with essential infrastructure.
FreeWillFreeWill provides a free online platform for creating legally valid estate plans and charitable giving tools. The service enables users to document their wishes and commit gifts to nonprofit organizations.
UpsolveUpsolve is a nonprofit organization that provides free bankruptcy filing assistance to low-income Americans. The organization helps individuals erase debt through Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, having assisted over 25,000 people in erasing more than $1.1 billion in total debt.
CandidCandid provides detailed profiles and personalized dashboards for users to access information, serving organizations in the philanthropy and nonprofit sectors.
Dost EducationDost Education provides parenting guidance and early childhood education support to families through mobile technology, including audio tips, storytelling chatbots, and community programs focused on responsive caregiving practices.
CharitynavigatorCharity Navigator provides a trust indicator platform that helps nonprofits be discovered by donors, raise funds, and build trust through published ratings and organizational impact metrics. The platform serves nonprofit organizations seeking to connect with supporters aligned with their missions.

Companies working in the same space as Chariot.

Timeline · 7

launches, deals, and filings
Jan 2026
Daffy to expand use of Chariot disbursements in 2026

Daffy CEO Adam Nash stated that Chariot's donation payment solution scaled with Daffy's growth and that Daffy plans to expand disbursements to more charities in 2026.

source ↗

Jan 2026
Chariot Disbursements grant payment product

Chariot offers Disbursements, a grantmaker product combining electronic transfers and mailed checks with compliance screening, available via dashboard or API.

source ↗

Mar 2025
Named among the Most Innovative Companies of 2025

Chariot was included in a 2025 most innovative companies list for improving and streamlining giving.

source ↗

Jan 2025
Named to Best Inventions 2025

Chariot's DAF giving technology was recognized in a Best Inventions 2025 list, cited as a friction-free option that proved transformative for charities.

source ↗

Jan 2025
Social Good Showcase winner

Recognized for addressing challenges specific to the social impact industry.

source ↗

Jan 2025
Launch of DAF Day campaign with major nonprofits

Chariot launched DAF Day, a nationwide activation to raise awareness of donor-advised fund giving, partnering with nonprofits including the ACLU, the American Cancer Society, March of Dimes and the International Rescue Committee, per Axios coverage cited by the company.

source ↗

Jan 2022
Accepted to Y Combinator; Chariot founded

Salo Serfati, Aaron Kahane and Drew Schneider applied to Y Combinator with the idea of a DAF payment option; after acceptance they left their jobs to start Chariot, having previously built MyTen, a card for meeting a 10% giving goal.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure
Chariot Giving, Inc.

▸Research sources · 8

primary sources listed

8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Chariot do?
Chariot builds payment and grant infrastructure that lets nonprofits accept donor-advised fund gifts and grantmakers pay out faster.
Who founded Chariot?
Chariot was founded by Salomon Serfati, Aaron Kahane, Drew Schneider in 2022.
Who are Chariot's investors?
Chariot's investors include Future Back Ventures, HAWKTAIL, Maven Ventures, Maveron, Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz, CRV (Charles River Ventures), Cubit Capital and 7 more.
Where is Chariot headquartered?
Chariot is headquartered in New York City, US.