About College Ave
College Ave is an Education company based in Wilmington (United States) founded in 2014 by Timothy Staley, and was acquired by Thrivent in September 2022. Student loans marketplace for undergraduate and graduate education is operated. It operates in the Education and Financial Services sectors. College Ave has raised $50 million across 4 funding rounds from investors including Thrivent, Guggenheim Investments and Comcast Ventures. The company has 87 employees. Its focus areas include FinTech, Alternative Lending, Online Lenders and Consumer Loans. Its legal entity is COLLEGE AVENUE STUDENT LOANS, LL. Its competitors include Navient, ClimbCredit and Credible Labs; 2 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Founded in 2014 and based in Wilmington, United States, College Ave functions as a marketplace in the student lending sector. Undergraduate and postgraduate loans are provided without requiring full-time enrollment. Borrowing limits range from a minimum of 2,000 to up to 100 of school-certified costs, including tuition, fees, books, room and board, transportation, and personal expenses. The loan product is issued by Firstrust Bank, a member of the FDIC.
- Headquarters Wilmington, United States
- Employees 87
- Founders Timothy Staley
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsEducationFinancial Services
- Website collegeavestudentloans.com
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by Thrivent (Sep 2022)
- Legal Name College Avenue Student Loans, Ll
Funding Insights of College Ave
College Ave has successfully raised a total of $50M across 4 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Debt – Conventional round of $385 million completed in March 2021. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $50M
- Total Rounds 4
- Last Round Debt – Conventional — $385M
- First Round $20M
(Jan 2016)
- Investors Count 5
All 4 funding rounds of College Ave with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2021 | $385M | Debt – Conventional | – | – | – |
| Feb 2019 | $65M | Debt – Conventional | – | – | |
| Apr 2017 | $30M | Series C | – | Comcast Ventures | |
| Jan 2016 | $20M | Series B | – | Comcast Ventures, DW Partners | – |
6 investors in total: 6 institutional.
Investors in College Ave
College Ave has secured backing from 6 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Thrivent, Guggenheim Investments and Comcast Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Comcast Ventures is focused on investing in technology startups. | comcastventures.com | San Francisco, United States | ||
Venture capital financing is offered to innovative entrepreneurs. | leadingedgevc.com | Newark, United States | ||
DW Partners is engaged in real estate debt investments. | 2009 | dwpartners.com | New York, USA | |
Tech focused Early stage VC Firm investing in the US | fenwaysummer.com | Bethesda, United States | ||
Diversified investment management services are offered globally by Guggenheim Investments. | 2000 | guggenheiminvestments.com | New York, United States | |
Financial services are offered by Thrivent as a not-for-profit entity. | 2008 | thrivent.com | Blue Springs, United States |
Investor details for College Ave
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
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People of College Ave
65 people are tracked at College Ave (33 in leadership, 32 in team); the tracked headcount is 87.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Timothy Staley | Co-Founder & COO | Leadership |
Jim Keller | CFO | Leadership |
Joe DePaulo | Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO | Leadership |
Dena Glaeser | Chief Legal Officer | Leadership |
Angela Colatriano | CMO | Leadership |
Tim Staley | Co-Founder, Director & COO | Leadership |
Joyce D. | Head Of Innovation | Leadership |
Katherine Jacobs | Head Of Brand And PR | Leadership |
Nicholas Stommel | Head Of Data Reporting | Leadership |
Brian Reed | Head Of Partnerships | Leadership |
Katrina Delgrosso | Head Of Mid Atlantic Campus Event Development | Leadership |
Karen Boltz | Head Of Product Management | Leadership |
Chad Kendall | Director Head Of Acquisition Marketing | Leadership |
Brian Roseberry | Director - Financial Planning And Analysis | Leadership |
Joseph Grieco | Chief Compliance Officer | Leadership |
Jing Li | Head Of Marketing Modeling | Leadership |
Jean Kim | Partner Marketing Coordinator | Leadership |
Tiffany Sebastian Gaston | Head Of Marketing Analytics | Leadership |
Kelly Williams | Director Product Management | Leadership |
Julie Finn | Head Of Campus Development Southwest | Leadership |
45 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for College Ave
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
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Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of College Ave
4 dated milestones of College Ave across 8 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded College Ave is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $20.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Debt – Conventional, of $385.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Thrivent.
Competitors of College Ave
College Ave has 3 listed competitors in our database, 2 of them funded. They include Navient, ClimbCredit and Credible Labs.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| navient.com | 2014 | Wilmington, United States | 4,500 | Student loans and federal servicing are provided by Navient. | ||
| climbcredit.com | 2014 | New York, United States | $12.9M | 55 | Education loans are offered to students at partner schools. | |
| credible.com | 2014 | San Francisco, United States | $22M | Alternate lending for student loans and refinancing is provided. |
Detailed competitors of College Ave
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
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Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of College Ave
The website of College Ave (collegeavestudentloans.com) receives about 2.5K visits a month.
- Monthly visits2.5K
▲ 20% vs previous month
Top companies in Education Technology Platforms
3 companies that operate in the same segment as College Ave (Education Technology Platforms) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Developer of a platform providing gamified language learning through interactive exercises | 2011 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | USD 183.3 M | USD 748.02 M | 900 | |
Cloud-based software for K-12 education is provided. | 1997 | Folsom, California, United States | USD 32 M | USD 47.59 M | 1,308 | |
Online platform for preschool management and parent updates is offered. | 2014 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 88.8 M |
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Related news about College Ave
Complete news archive for College Ave
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Frequently Asked Questions about College Ave
College Ave was founded in 2014 and raised its 1st funding round 2 years after it was founded.
College Ave is headquartered in Wilmington, United States. It is registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States.
College Ave is a funded company, having raised a total of $50M across 4 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series B of $20M, raised on Jan 2016.
College Ave has 87 employees.
Founded in 2014 and based in Wilmington, United States, College Ave functions as a marketplace in the student lending sector. Undergraduate and postgraduate loans are provided without requiring full-time enrollment. Borrowing limits range from a minimum of 2,000 to up to 100 of school-certified costs, including tuition, fees, books, room and board, transportation, and personal expenses. The loan product is issued by Firstrust Bank, a member of the FDIC.
College Ave's top competitors include ClimbCredit, Navient and Credible Labs.
College Ave has 6 investors. Key investors include Thrivent, Guggenheim Investments, Comcast Ventures, Leading Edge Ventures, and DW Partners.
College Ave operates through College Avenue Student Loans, Ll.
Yes. College Ave was acquired by Thrivent in September 2022.