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Zest AI
Burbank, US · Founded 2009 · 231 employees on LinkedIn · 10 known investors
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Zest.ai builds AI-based credit underwriting technology that helps lenders assess borrower risk and automate loan decisioning. Its tools serve banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions in the consumer lending market.
Also known as Zest AI · Zest Finance
Founders & leadership
Investors · 10
How we know: Curql Collective, LLC's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Flybridge Capital Partners's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Lightspeed Venture Partners's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Next Level Ventures's portfolio page · the VCSheet dataset · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Saints Capital's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Upfront Ventures's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: press coverage · Not right? Tell us
How we know: a partner's Signal profile · funding news · salestools.io · Not right? Tell us
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$200M disclosed across 1 of 2 rounds · 2022–2024
- $200MraisedDec 2024 · 2 sources
Insight Partners (lead), Thomvest Ventures
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Zest AI develops artificial intelligence software for consumer lending, centered on automating and improving credit decisioning. Its product set spans AI-automated underwriting, application fraud detection, and lending intelligence — portfolio reporting and analytics intended to help lenders adjust credit strategy and policy.
The company positions its models as tools for increasing approval rates and automation levels without raising risk, and reports outcomes measured across protected classes as part of a fair-lending emphasis. Zest AI states that it supports more than 600 active models in production for its clients, and describes its technology as integrating into a lender's existing underwriting workflow.
Business model
Zest AI supplies underwriting, fraud and analytics technology to lending institutions, which integrate the models into their own credit decisioning processes; engagements include customer success support alongside the software.
Traction
The company reports over 600 active models in production; one credit union customer cites an auto-decisioning rate of 70-83% using Zest AI underwriting technology.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market
Market position
Positions itself as a provider of AI and fair-lending technology for the lending ecosystem, with a stated focus on broadening access to responsible credit.
Technology
Machine learning models applied to credit underwriting and application fraud detection, plus reporting tools that surface portfolio and lending-strategy insights. The company reports monitoring model outcomes across protected classes such as age, gender and minority status.
Go-to-market
Direct sales to lending institutions, with prospects invited to schedule consultations; customer testimonials from credit union executives are used as reference marketing.
Lenders, including credit unions and other financial institutions engaged in consumer lending.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 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.
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Zest AI went on to found or lead other companies.
In the news
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Zest AIzest.ai · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Zest AI do?
- Zest AI provides AI-based credit underwriting, fraud detection and lending intelligence software for lenders.
- Who are Zest AI's investors?
- Zest AI's investors include Curql Collective, LLC, Flybridge Capital Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Matrix, Next Level Ventures, Saints Capital, Upfront Ventures, Citi Ventures and 2 more.
- How much funding has Zest AI raised?
- Zest AI has disclosed $200M raised across 1 of its 2 known rounds.
- Where is Zest AI headquartered?
- Zest AI is headquartered in Burbank, US.