Investing app Acorns nabbed $105 million in funding and now has a higher valuation than robo giant Betterment

Thomson Reuters

Madison Lucas, an employee of U.S.-based technology company Acorns, demonstrates their smartphone-based app at the organization's Sydney headquarters in Australia.

• Investing app Acorns raised $105 million in funding for its Series E round that included new investors NBCUniversal, Comcast Venture and private equity firms DST and MSD Capital.
• Acorns is now valued at $860 million, which is more than Betterment, the largest independent robo-advisor in the world.

Acorns, an app that invests users' spare change in exchange-traded funds, announced it raised $105 million in a Series E round that gives the company a valuation of $860 million.

NBCUniversal, Comcast Ventures and private equity firms DST and MSD Capital, which manages Michael Dell's personal money, participated in the round. TPG, BlackRock and Bain Capital Ventures were previous investors of Acorns that also invested.

Complimentary Tech Event

Transform talent with learning that works

Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

Acorns' latest valuation bumps it ahead of Betterment, the largest independent robo-advisor with $15 billion in assets under management. Betterment was valued at $800 million during its last round of funding in July 2017.

Sign up here for our weekly newsletter Wall Street Insider, a behind-the-scenes look at the stories dominating banking, business, and big deals.

Acorns has more than 4.5 million customers and over $1.2 billion in assets under management. Part of the investment will be used to facilitate a partnership with CNBC for creating content around personal finance.

The California-based fintech has already expanded beyond its initial offering. Acorns Later, an individual retirement account (IRA), and Acorns Spend, a checking account and debit card, were both launched over the past year.

Read more:

• Top venture investors from Bain and a16z tell us the 4 hottest fintech themes they're watching in 2019
• It's a fintech frenzy - top venture pros spill why the $11 billion party won't end anytime soon
• A Greycroft venture partner shares the 3 areas of fintech that are ripe for disruption