One of Ashton Kutcher’s startup investments is now getting acquired by a publicly traded company.

‍What’s happening:‍

• Upbound Group (NASDAQ: UPBD) has announced they will acquire financial technology company Brigit
  

By the numbers:‍

• Upbound Group will pay a total of up to $460M USD as part of the acquisition
  
• $325M USD will be paid at closing, with 75% being paid in cash and 25% being paid through common shares in Upbound Group
  
• Brigit also has the potential to earn an additional $60M USD in future milestone payments
  
• Over 1M users currently use Brigit for financial education, small interest free cash advances and credit building
  

Why it matters:‍

• Brigit has become one of the fastest growing financial technology companies in the United States of America and has also landed many notable investors including Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Durant and Anthony Pompliano
  

Going deeper:‍

• Upbound Group has become one of the most successful publicly traded companies focused on the lease-to-own business for furniture, electronics and household items and currently operates across the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico
  

The intrigue:‍

• Ashton Kutcher continues to make bets on disruptive technology startups, including previously leading a financing round with Reid Hoffman for Arcade AI who is building completely custom jewellery through artificial intelligence and simple prompts from users

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