Pave
Entrepreneur First '17London, GB · Founded 2017 · 2 known investors
Pave offers subscription memberships that help consumers build their credit score using tools like credit-building payments and bills protection, without requiring a hard credit check. It shows users their TransUnion and Equifax scores and is aimed at UK consumers who are new to credit or looking to improve their credit health.
Also known as Portify
Founders & leadership
Pave was founded in 2017 by Sho Sugihara and Chris Butcher.
Investors · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Pave is a UK consumer credit-building service delivered through a mobile app and paid membership. Members subscribe to a plan under which Pave opens a credit builder account and reports the member's subscription and Bills Protection payments to the three main UK credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion), with the stated aim of improving payment history and credit utilisation. Opening the credit line requires signing a regulated credit agreement, and the site warns that missed Pave payments may harm a user's score. Applying does not involve a hard credit check.
Beyond reporting, the product includes score monitoring — Pave states it is the only UK app that shows both TransUnion and Equifax scores in one place — personalised monthly "credit fixes" derived from analysis of the user's credit file, and bank-account connection to detect and send alerts on priority bills. Eligible users may receive an advance to cover an eligible bill they are at risk of missing. Support is provided by "Credit Experts" via WhatsApp and email seven days a week, alongside in-app educational content and gamified elements such as spins and cash prizes for completing challenges and paying bills on time. Pave notes limits on suitability: users with a CCJ, IVA or bankruptcy in the previous 12 months may not be helped by the service.
The company positions itself against products that extend additional debt, advertising 0% APR, no hidden fees and no upselling of credit cards, and it frames the value proposition around interest savings from a better score (citing figures such as £20,000+ saved on a £300,000 mortgage and up to roughly £693 per year on a typical credit card balance, based on third-party calculations). Legacy terms and conditions on the Pave Plus page still refer to the product and entity as "Portify", indicating a prior brand name.
Business model
Direct-to-consumer subscription. Pave sells tiered memberships — Lite at £5 per month (TransUnion building and tracking, credit specialist support) and Plus at £9 per month (building with TransUnion, Experian and Equifax, personalised tips, dual-bureau tracking, bill protection) — plus a one-off £3 "Credit Spotlight" diagnostic. A 14-day free trial is offered, and Plus carries a 12-month money-back guarantee if the score does not improve, subject to conditions.
Recurring monthly membership fees (£5 Lite, £9 Plus) and a one-off £3 Credit Spotlight product; the site states there is 0% APR and no hidden fees beyond the subscription.
Traction
The website states that more than 500,000 people have joined Pave and refers to "hundreds of thousands" building credit with the service. It claims 99% of customers with good credit habits improve their scores, qualified as applying to Pave Plus customers of at least six months who take all in-app actions and add no negative markers; Pave states it cannot guarantee a score increase. Customer testimonials cite score gains such as 178 points and a move from 329 to 593 over 1.5 years.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned in the UK credit-building and credit-score-improvement segment as a subscription alternative to credit-card-based credit builders, citing an award-winning product and a base of more than 500,000 registered users.
Claims to be the only UK service showing both TransUnion and Equifax scores in the same app, and to build scores with all three major UK bureaus on the Plus plan. Other stated differentiators are no hard credit check, 0% APR with no hidden fees, an explicit policy of not selling additional debt or credit cards, seven-day-a-week human credit expert support over WhatsApp, bills protection advances for eligible users, and a 12-month money-back guarantee tied to score improvement.
Technology
Mobile app with open-banking style bank-account connection used to detect recurring bills and subscriptions and to trigger payment reminders; credit file analysis to generate prioritised personalised actions; a credit line/credit builder account whose utilisation and repayment data is furnished to UK credit reference agencies; in-app display of TransUnion and Equifax scores; WhatsApp and email support channels.
Go-to-market
Self-serve digital acquisition via the website and app with a 14-day free trial and sign-up described as taking under three minutes; social proof through Trustpilot reviews and customer testimonials; retention and engagement through gamified rewards (spins, cash prizes) for on-time payments and completed challenges.
UK consumers who are new to credit or have thin, poor or damaged credit files and want to raise their score without taking on additional borrowing. Pave states it may not be able to help people with a CCJ, IVA or bankruptcy within the past 12 months.
Geography
United Kingdom; the product is built around UK credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion), UK-specific credit events (CCJ, IVA, bankruptcy) and pricing in pounds sterling.
History
Pave's Plus terms and conditions still reference "Portify" and "Portify Plus" memberships, including a credit guarantee applying to memberships started on or after 24 January 2022, indicating the service previously operated under the Portify name.
Risks & controversies
The service is built on a regulated credit agreement, and Pave repeatedly warns that missing Pave payments may harm a user's credit score. It also states it cannot guarantee a score increase and that customers with a recent CCJ, IVA or bankruptcy may not benefit. Public-facing terms still carry the prior Portify branding, and the money-back guarantee is subject to multiple eligibility conditions (consistent on-time payment, no new defaults or credit accounts, electoral roll registration).
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Pavepaveapp.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Pave do?
- UK subscription app that builds users' credit scores via reported payments, bill alerts and dual bureau score tracking.
- Who founded Pave?
- Pave was founded by Sho Sugihara, Chris Butcher in 2017.
- Who are Pave's investors?
- Pave's investors include Entrepreneur First, redalpine.
- Where is Pave headquartered?
- Pave is headquartered in London, GB.