We mined Affirm’s acquisitions, investments, and partnerships to discern the company's strategic priorities.
Affirm is one of the world’s leading buy now, pay later (BNPL) companies. Founded in 2012, the company went public in January 2021 at a $12B valuation. Since then, Affirm’s stock has lost 90% of its value, as rising competition and economic uncertainty put pressure on the company to tamp down losses.
As Affirm looks to enhance its core BNPL offering — and drive profitability and new growth — the company has forged hundreds of partnerships, invested in a handful of companies, and made 2 acquisitions over the last 3 years.
For example, the BNPL leader has deepened its partnerships with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and Amazon, reducing its reliance on Peloton — historically one of Affirm’s most important partners. Meanwhile, the company has grown its presence in new retail verticals and industries like travel. And its made strategic relationships, including the December 2020 acquisition of Canada-based BNPL provider PayBright, to expand beyond the US into Canada.
Using CB Insights data, we uncovered the 3 most important strategic priorities highlighted by Affirm’s recent acquisitions, investments, and partnerships. We then categorized companies by their business relationships with Affirm across these priorities.
- E-commerce & retail
- Payments
- Travel & hospitality
