Informed

Informed.IQ, a San Francisco-based company, provides AI-powered verification and automation software for financial institutions, using Document AI and machine learning to speed lending, reduce fraud, and improve inclusivity. Founded in April 2016 by Justin Wickett and Magdalena Yesil, Informed.IQ processed over 6 million consumer credit applications in 2023 and supported more than $350 billion in loan originations. Its platform automates income, employment, and document checks, incorporating generative AI and a copilot interface for transparency and compliance. The company secured $63 million in growth equity funding from lead investors including Invictus Growth Partners, Nyca Partners, and US Venture Partners. Its solutions are trusted by seven of the top ten U.S. auto lenders, expanding into mortgage, consumer lending, and tenant screening.

High-Level Overview

Informed (informediq.com) is a fintech technology company specializing in AI-powered employment and income verifications for lenders, enabling real-time applicant checks to reduce fraud, speed onboarding, and lower costs.[5] It serves financial institutions like banks, credit unions, and auto lenders, solving the problem of manual document verification by using vertical AI, document intelligence, and a data consortium of 80 million lending documents with 1.5 billion data points for accurate, compliant insights.[5] The platform processes verifications in under 30 seconds, improving accuracy, regulatory compliance, and financial inclusivity while integrating historical loan data to mitigate risk.[5]

Growth momentum is strong, evidenced by partnerships with major players like Westlake Financial—the largest independent U.S. auto lender—and endorsements from industry leaders highlighting its role in automating verifications and enhancing lending efficiency.[5] Informed's mission focuses on lowering the cost of credit through AI-driven transparency.[5]

Origin Story

Informed emerged in the fintech space to address inefficiencies in lending verifications, leveraging AI and machine learning developed by subject matter experts with deep lending experience.[5] While specific founding details like exact year or founders' names are not detailed in available sources, the company has built a robust data foundation over 7 years, amassing 80 million lending documents and 1.5 billion data points into a knowledge graph that powers its real-time capabilities.[5] Early traction likely stemmed from the need for faster, fraud-resistant onboarding in a post-pandemic lending boom, with pivotal integrations by clients like Westlake Financial scaling its adoption as they grew to lead the auto lending market.[5]

Core Differentiators

• AI and Data Consortium: Uses vertical AI, document intelligence, and a proprietary knowledge graph from 7 years of 80M lending docs/1.5B data points for unparalleled fraud detection and accuracy, far beyond manual processes.[5]
• Real-Time Speed: Verifies employment and income in under 30 seconds, automating stipulations and enabling faster loan approvals without sacrificing compliance.[5]
• Regulatory and Cost Efficiency: Ensures auditability, reduces bias, cuts manual errors, and lowers verification costs, with model risk management for secure data handling.[5]
• Lender-Centric Expertise: Built by experienced lenders (SMEs), offering tailored solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing systems, as praised by clients for streamlining processes.[5]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Informed rides the AI-driven fintech verification trend, capitalizing on the explosion of digital lending amid rising fraud rates and regulatory demands for compliance in a high-interest environment.[5] Timing is ideal as lenders face pressure to onboard faster—post-2020 digital shifts accelerated this—while AI advancements enable real-time decisions that traditional methods can't match.[5] Market forces like increasing auto and consumer loan volumes (e.g., Westlake's growth) and data privacy regulations favor Informed's secure, bias-reduced approach, positioning it to influence the ecosystem by standardizing verifications and promoting financial inclusivity.[5] By lowering credit costs, it indirectly boosts lending access for underserved borrowers.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Informed is poised to expand as AI verifications become table stakes in fintech, potentially capturing more market share in auto, mortgage, and personal lending with its data moat.[5] Trends like embedded finance, stricter fraud regs, and generative AI enhancements will shape its path, enabling predictive risk tools beyond current income checks. Its influence may evolve from niche verifier to full-suite lending AI platform, drawing larger integrations and acquisitions—tying back to its core strength in turning scattered data into instant trust for a more efficient credit market.[5]