Arro is reimagining how credit is built in America—transforming it from a static judgment of the past into a dynamic, forward-looking system that doesn’t just assess creditworthiness, but actively improves it through education and behavior change.
Nearly half of Americans lack access to affordable credit. The FICO credit scoring system – which underpins credit access in the U.S. – relies on opaque algorithms and outdated metrics which fail to capture true creditworthiness and prevents less financially savvy, underserved consumers from ever building credit.
Those who do break through are often the victim of prohibitively high interest rates.
This leaves a massive population that could greatly benefit from a solution that not only gives access to unsecured credit but also helps build personal finance proficiency.
Arro fills this gap with a low-limit unsecured card, powered by a proprietary underwriting system and in-app financial education (e.g., financial lessons, personalized challenges). Credit lines start at $50-$200 which scales as users accomplish financial and educational goals. Over time, the app collects thousands of behavioral signals that inform ever-tighter limit tuning and personalized guidance. The result is a flywheel: better habits → stronger repayment data → higher limits → improving credit scores, all without resorting to security deposits or high fees.
Arro’s long-term ambition is to fundamentally rewire how creditworthiness is built in America. Instead of relying on a decades-old FICO system—designed for lenders, not consumers—Arro offers a dynamic, data-rich alternative. Its behavioral underwriting model rewards learning, consistency, and effort—not just history.
While other credit providers passively report to the bureaus, Arro is actively coaching users toward credit outcomes that reflect who they are becoming, not just who they were. It is not just a more inclusive system—it’s a smarter, more adaptive one.
When we first met Luke and Ryan, their deep conviction and clarity around the problem they’re solving were immediately compelling. They’ve built an exceptional team with decades of fintech experience across it, that shares a drive to reshape the system.
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve led Arro’s Seed+ financing round, joined by Crosslink, Bling Capital, Larkin Street, and BAM Ventures.
If you are interested in learning more about Arro, please visit the company’s website.
About Bullpen: At Bullpen, we've built our reputation by backing post-seed startups that others tend to overlook — whether it's because they're in an unfashionable sector, based outside the usual hubs, or led by founders outside the traditional networks. Please reach out if you’d like to chat at investment-team@bullpencap.com.
