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Tilt.com
Tilt.com
Tilt.com
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Tilt.com, Inc. (formerly Crowdtilt) was a crowdfunding company founded in 2012 that allowed for groups and communities to collect, fundraise, or pool money online. James Beshara and Khaled Hussein launched the platform under the name Crowdtilt out of Y Combinator.

Key Information

The company was legally certified in securing fundraisers for non-profit organizations. The company was initially based in Texas and was then headquartered in San Francisco, California.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

In 2017, Airbnb acquired the company and retired the Tilt platform in an acqui-hire.[11]

History

[edit]

Background

[edit]

Tilt CEO and co-founder James Beshara, a 2008 graduate of Wake Forest University, developed the concept for the group-funding platform while working as a microloans collection officer in South Africa.[12] Beshara utilized the concept of social collateral to create Dvelo.org, which aimed to provide group-funded loans to micro-insurance organizations.[5][13][14] When Dvelo users began to use the service to fund non-charity related ventures, Beshara shifted the company's model to concentrate on raising funds for parties, gifts, events, or any other cause that a user proposed.[4][5][12][13][14]

Beshara brought on Khaled Hussein as a co-founder in 2011.[13] Beshara and Hussein rebranded Dvelo as Crowdtilt and were accepted into the Winter 2012 session of Y Combinator.[12][14][15][16][17]

Growth

[edit]

In May 2012, the company closed its first round of funding at $2.1 million.[18][19] Investors included SV Angel, CrunchFund, and Reddit's Alexis Ohanian.[14][18][19]

In November 2012, the company met federal regulations regarding fundraising for nonprofits.[20] As a result, Crowdtilt fully supports charity fundraising, providing users with tax-deductible donation receipts.[19][20][21][22]

In December 2012, the company released a crowd-funding API that allows startups and third-party developers to integrate Crowdtilt's functionality into applications.[22][23][24][25]

In April 2013, the company raised $12 million in Series A financing.[7][24][26] The financing was led by the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.[7][24][26] This round of financing brought Crowdtilt's total funding to approximately $14 million.[24][27]

On December 16, 2013, the company raised $23 million in Series B funding to help the company continue to grow its team and expand internationally.[28][29]

On July 31, 2014, Crowdtilt rebranded as simply Tilt.[30]

On August 28, 2014, Tilt announced that it was dropping fees for groups looking to collect money.[31] It is now free for organizers to collect money with their groups, and free for all contributors using their debit card for payments (a standard 3% processing fee still applies for credit cards). Previously, Tilt charged collect organizers a 2.5% fee on the total money pooled.[32]

Tilt began a collaboration with ESPN Fantasy Football in August 2014 to provide a safe, secure and simple way for league commissioners to collect ESPN fantasy football league dues.[33]

Airbnb acquisition

[edit]

In 2017, Airbnb acquired Tilt for $12 million in cash as an acqui-hire, since the business was never profitable but had some talented employees.[34][35] Airbnb retired the Tilt platform in June 2017.[11]

Services

[edit]

Tilt.com

[edit]

Tilt's principal product was a group-funding platform that allowed users to contribute to and create campaigns of their choosing.[4][15][16] Every campaign was assigned a tilt point, which defines the minimum amount of funding needed to make the campaign successful.[4][5] Users could contribute as much as they like, and campaign funds were only released if the tilt point is met.

It was free for organizers to collect money with their groups, and for all contributors using debit cards (a standard 3% processing fee still applied for credit cards).

API

[edit]

In December 2012, the company released an application programming interface (API) which allows third-party integration of the Tilt group payment functionality into any application.[23] The API's universal payments interface is compatible with multiple payment processors in any currency.[22][23][25][36]

Campaigns

[edit]

A 2012 VentureBeat article reported that, “86% of [Crowdtilt] campaigns are successful, and on average, raise almost twice as much as they need to tilt. Campaigns that reach 34% of their goal have a 99% chance of going all the way, and 38% of activity happens in the last few hours.”[18]

The following are a few of the notable campaigns that were successfully funded on Tilt.

In May 2013, Soylent, a food substitute intended to supply all of a human body's daily nutritional needs, used Tilt to bring their nutritional drink to production. The company collected over $2,100,000 from over 20,000 supporters.[37][38]

In May 2013, Several campaigns were created to provide relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Crowdtilt waived their service fee for any donations and reported about $180,000 donations towards the hurricane-related projects.[18][20][21][39]

In April 2013, a Tilt campaign successfully raised over $50,000 to replace a boat "Slip Away II" that was damaged during the arrest of Dzhokar Tsarnaev, a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. The boat's owner, David Henneberry, commented that he "doesn't want the money and would rather have it go to a fund for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing."[7][8][9][10] However, in October 2013 he accepted $50,000 to purchase a used boat he named "Beth Said Yes" (for his wife), and directed that the excess go to One Fund Boston.[40][41]

In early 2014 the Jamaica national bobsleigh team qualified for the 2014 Sochi Olympics but lacked funding to attend the games. An online campaign was set up to raise $80,000 through Tilt.[42] When it closed on January 22, 2014, the campaign had raised $129,687.[43][44]

In January 2014, To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ice Cube's classic song It Was a Good Day, a campaign was created to get a Goodyear Blimp embossed with Ice Cube's name. The creators launched a Tilt campaign to collect donations for a charity based in Ice Cube's hometown of Compton, California. The campaign raised over $25,000 for "A Place Called Home" to help at-risk youth, and Goodyear made the blimp fly at an event for Ice Cube, children and community members.[45][46]

In February 2014, Jared Guynes created a Tilt campaign to throw a 700-person Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles party and invite Vanilla Ice to perform.[47] More than 250 people donated the $35,000 to fund his party at South Side Music Hall in Dallas. The campaign ultimately raised more than $72,000.[48] Jared has since thrown other parties, one featuring Mario Kart, using Tilt campaigns.[49]

In March 2014, Lammily, the fashion doll with realistic proportions, raised over $500,000 on Tilt from over 13,000 supporters.[50]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Tilt.com

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Tilt.com is a financial technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California, that specializes in providing cash advances, flexible lines of credit, and credit cards designed for individuals with non-traditional income sources or limited credit histories, using real-time income and spending data for underwriting instead of relying solely on credit scores. Founded in 2016 as Empower Finance by CEO Warren Hogarth and CTO Justin Ammerlaan, the company rebranded to Tilt in August 2025 to emphasize its mission of building a more inclusive credit system that recognizes users' potential and hard work. Tilt's products include instant cash advances of $10 to $400 with no or checks, lines of starting at $200–$400 that can grow to $1,000 based on payment history, and cards such as the Tilt Engage and Motion cards tailored for builders, new users, or those rebuilding scores. These offerings target over 100 million Americans and billions globally who face barriers to traditional banking, with Tilt reporting over $1 billion in extended to more than 5 million customers and earning 450,000+ five-star reviews. The platform operates as a mobile-first service, partnering with banks like FinWise and WebBank for lending, and has been recognized for innovation by outlets including , Inc., and .

Overview

Founding and Key Personnel

Tilt.com was founded on June 1, 2016, in , California, as Empower Finance by co-founders Warren Hogarth and Justin Ammerlaan. Warren Hogarth, who serves as CEO, previously worked as a partner at , bringing expertise in venture investing and . Justin Ammerlaan, the co-founder and CTO, contributes technical leadership with a background in and development. The company was established to create more accessible credit options for individuals with non-traditional income sources, using for rather than traditional credit scores. The initial focus was on providing flexible financial tools to underserved markets, and the company has grown through strategic partnerships and acquisitions, including in April 2024 to enhance its credit card offerings. In August 2025, the company rebranded from Empower to Tilt to better reflect its mission of building an inclusive credit system that recognizes users' potential and hard work.

Business Model

Tilt operates as a mobile-first platform providing cash advances, lines of credit, and credit cards to individuals facing barriers to traditional banking, targeting over 100 million with limited credit histories. The core model is subscription-based, with users paying $8 per month for access to instant cash advances of $10 to $400 (no interest or credit checks), flexible lines of credit starting at $200–$400 that can grow to $1,000, and specialized credit cards like Tilt Engage, Motion, and Essentials for credit building. Revenue is generated through subscription fees, interchange on credit card transactions, interest on credit products, and partnerships with issuing banks such as WebBank and FinWise Bank. As of August 2025, Tilt has extended over $1 billion in credit to more than 5 million customers, emphasizing real-time income and spending analysis for underwriting.

History

Early Development and Funding

Tilt.com was founded on June 1, 2016, as Empower Finance by CEO Warren Hogarth and CTO Justin Ammerlaan in San Francisco, California. The company aimed to provide accessible financial tools to underserved consumers using cash flow underwriting rather than traditional credit scores. In 2017, Empower launched its initial products, quickly attracting 250,000 users. The company secured its first funding in 2018 with a $4.5 million seed round led by and . This was followed by a $20 million in 2020, led by Icon Ventures and Defy Partners, with participation from investors including David Velez of . These funds supported product development and expansion of its mobile-first platform for cash advances and building. In 2019, Empower hired key executives including Stephanie Lin as and Mac Muir as head of operations (who became in 2022).

Growth and Rebranding

Empower achieved profitability in 2022 and raised a $150 million Series B round that year, bringing total funding to $174.5 million and valuing the company at approximately $800 million. The investment enabled scaling of its technology and user base. In 2024, Empower acquired , a focused on credit building, which expanded its offerings and grew its subscriber base to 2 million. By August 2025, the had reached 3 million subscribers and served over 5 million customers. On August 6, 2025, Empower Finance to Tilt to reflect its mission of expanding access to fair credit and introducing new products, including three unsecured (Tilt Engage, Motion, and another tailored for credit builders). The rebranding included a comprehensive redesign and emphasized real-time income and spending data for underwriting.

Services

Core Platform Features

The following describes the core platform features of the original Tilt.com platform, a separate crowdfunding and social payments company founded in 2012 that was acquired by Airbnb in February 2017 and shut down in June 2017. Tilt.com provided a user-friendly web and mobile application interface that enabled organizers to create crowdfunding campaigns effortlessly. Users could set customizable funding goals, deadlines, and descriptions for various purposes, such as group events, gifts, or charitable causes, while integrating social sharing options directly into the campaign setup. The platform supported both web access via browsers and a dedicated iOS and Android mobile app, allowing seamless campaign management on the go. The payment system on Tilt.com facilitated secure, real-time contributions from supporters using credit cards like Visa and or bank transfers. Contributions were processed through a hosted that ensured immediate pledges, with charges only applied once the campaign reached its funding threshold in the platform's signature all-or-nothing mode. If the goal was not met by the deadline, the system automatically issued full refunds to contributors, eliminating for participants and simplifying administration for organizers. Tilt briefly referenced a 2.5% fee for certain campaign types, such as fundraisers, though this was waived for basic collection efforts. Social elements were integral to Tilt.com's design, fostering group participation through easy invitations sent via , , , , or direct links. Organizers could send personalized invites or share campaign progress updates in real-time to keep supporters engaged, while features like visible contribution tallies encouraged communal momentum toward goals. These tools, including broad sharing capabilities, helped campaigns go viral within networks, as seen in rapid fundraisers that attracted thousands of donors. Tilt.com prioritized security and compliance in its operations, achieving Level 1 , the highest standard for handling card payments, to protect user data and transactions. The platform required verification for fundraising campaigns, such as linking to a valid 501(c)(3) nonprofit for -deductible donations, ensuring legitimacy and enabling donors to receive benefits where applicable. Bank account integration further secured fund disbursement directly to organizers upon successful campaigns.

Developer API

Tilt.com launched its developer in December 2012, initially under the company's original name, Crowdtilt, to enable third-party developers to integrate group and functionalities into external applications and websites. The was released in beta form, allowing seamless embedding of Tilt's processing capabilities, which supported group checkouts, pre-sales, and social fundraising without requiring developers to build complex billing mechanisms from scratch. The followed a RESTful architecture, serving as the core of Tilt's platform for handling related to group-money interactions. Key functionalities included endpoints for creating and managing campaigns, processing payments through integrated processors such as Stripe, Balanced, and Braintree, and retrieving transaction data to support real-time updates and reporting. It also incorporated collaboration tools like comments, updates, and messaging to facilitate group participation, while ensuring PCI compliance, fraud prevention, and support for multi-currency and multi-language operations to accommodate international use. Developers could customize payment options, including credit cards and ACH , to fit various commerce needs. Common use cases for the involved integrations with event platforms for group ticketing, such as funding a New Year's Eve party in at $350 per ticket, and sites for pre-sales or pooled purchases. It enabled custom applications for seamless group , including travel coordination via partners like Vayable for shared trip expenses and hardware pre-orders on sites like Lockitron.com. Documentation was provided through resources like the official developer portal, which outlined API terms and examples for implementation, fostering adoption among startups and brands seeking hybrid payment solutions that combined Tilt's group features with existing systems. The remained free during its beta phase, with pricing planned for introduction in early 2013, contributing to early integrations that highlighted Tilt's role in simplifying collaborative .

Notable Campaigns

The following describes notable campaigns from the original Tilt.com platform, a separate crowdfunding and social payments company founded in 2012 that was acquired by Airbnb in February 2017 and shut down in June 2017.

Fundraising Successes

One of the most notable commercial successes on Tilt.com was the May 2013 campaign for Soylent, a product developed by Rob Rhinehart. The campaign, which aimed to fund production and distribution of the nutrient-dense powder on the then-named Crowdtilt platform, far exceeded its initial $100,000 goal, ultimately raising approximately $3 million from thousands of backers interested in innovative food solutions. This effort not only enabled Soylent to scale manufacturing but also marked one of the platform's largest fundraisers for a consumer product launch, demonstrating Tilt's capacity for supporting entrepreneurial ventures through group contributions. In the realm of personal and athletic funding, the January 2014 campaign for the Jamaican bobsled team on the then-named Crowdtilt platform highlighted Tilt's role in enabling underfunded pursuits. Aiming to cover travel, equipment, and training costs for the Winter Olympics, the initiative raised exactly $129,687 from global donors, including a significant viral boost from cryptocurrency enthusiasts via . This success allowed the team—reminiscent of the 1988 "" story—to compete internationally, showcasing how Tilt facilitated rapid, community-driven support for unique goals. Beyond these high-profile cases, Tilt.com excelled in funding personal events such as weddings and group trips, where campaigns often amassed tens of thousands of dollars through quick, viral sharing among social networks. These efforts emphasized the platform's strength in pooling small contributions from friends and family, turning informal group pledges into tangible funding within days or weeks. For instance, users frequently created campaigns for destination honeymoons or celebrations, leveraging Tilt's social features to encourage rapid participation and exceed goals efficiently. Overall, the platform's campaigns had success rates around 86% for those reaching their funding thresholds—far higher than traditional sites—allowing most initiatives to secure at least double their targeted amounts on average. This track record underscored Tilt's focus on low-barrier, group-oriented that prioritized quick tilting points for momentum.

Charitable and Community Initiatives

The following describes charitable and community initiatives from the original Tilt.com platform, a separate crowdfunding and social payments company founded in 2012 that was acquired by Airbnb in February 2017 and shut down in June 2017. Tilt, formerly known as Crowdtilt, supported charitable and community initiatives by enabling group-based for non-profit causes and social good, distinguishing itself through features designed for transparency and ease of use. In November 2012, the platform expanded to fully accommodate non-profits, becoming the first service to offer automatic tax-deductible receipts for donations to U.S. 501(c)(3) organizations, which facilitated direct transfers of funds to charities while ensuring donor benefits. This integration allowed organizers to leverage Tilt's social tools for broader reach, with funds disbursed only upon meeting campaign goals to minimize risk. A notable example was the platform's response to Superstorm Sandy in late 2012, when Crowdtilt waived its 2.5% service fee for all relief-focused campaigns using the promo code "sandyrecovery," enabling communities to raise money for disaster victims without platform costs reducing aid. Users created multiple campaigns for recovery efforts, highlighting Tilt's role in rapid, fee-free mobilization for emergencies. Beyond disaster relief, Tilt powered community drives for , healthcare, and local improvements, such as funding school projects or medical expenses through group pledges. For instance, a neighborhood group in raised funds to repair potholes after city delays, demonstrating how the platform supported efforts for public benefit. Organizers for medical needs, like covering treatments or equipment, also used Tilt to pool contributions from friends and family, often tying into non-profit partnerships for tax advantages. Tilt's real-time tracking and progress-sharing features enhanced participation in these initiatives by providing transparency in fund allocation, allowing donors to see updates on how contributions aided causes—whether school supplies, medical aid, or event-based community support—fostering greater trust and engagement. This approach differentiated Tilt from traditional donation methods, emphasizing collective action for societal impact.

Legacy

The domain name tilt.com was originally associated with a separate and social payments company founded in 2012, which was acquired by in February 2017 and shut down later that year. Following a domain dispute in 2021 where failed to recover tilt.com, the domain became available and was subsequently acquired by the current Tilt company for its rebranding from Empower Finance in August 2025. As a relatively young company founded in , Tilt's legacy is still emerging, but it has already made significant contributions to inclusive by using alternative data for to serve over 100 million underserved . By November 2025, Tilt had extended more than $2 billion in credit and cash advances to over 5 million customers, earning recognition for innovation from publications like and . In 2024, Tilt acquired , a company focused on building, further expanding its offerings to help users improve financial health. This positions Tilt as a pioneer in fair access, challenging traditional banking models that rely heavily on credit scores.

References

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  2. https://tilt.com/about/
  3. https://research.contrary.com/company/tilt
  4. https://www.vanguardlawmag.com/case-studies/louis-shansky-tilt/
  5. https://www.creativeboom.com/news/ragged-edge-tilts-the-odds-with-a-new-identity-for-us-fintech/
  6. https://tilt.com/cash-advance/
  7. https://tilt.com/line-of-credit/
  8. https://tilt.com/credit-cards/
  9. https://tilt.com/announcement/
  10. https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyfeldman/2024/08/13/next-billion-dollar-startups-2024/
  11. https://www.inc.com/profile/empower
  12. https://www.fastcompany.com/90804427/fintech-crypto-blockchain-the-5-next-big-things-from-ethereum-powered-rewards-to-an-investment-matchmaker
  13. https://theorg.com/org/tilt-com/org-chart/warren-hogarth
  14. https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-ammerlaan/
  15. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/justin-ammerlaan_empower-signs-definitive-agreement-to-acquire-activity-7183467375457972224-slI1
  16. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/empower-finance-rebrands-tilt-launches-100000465.html
  17. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/empower-finance-rebrands-to-tilt-and-launches-tilt-credit-cards-to-accelerate-reliable-access-to-fair-credit-302522406.html
  18. https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/22/airbnb-finalizes-deal-to-buy-social-payments-startups-tilt/
  19. https://d3.harvard.edu/platform-digit/submission/tilt-taking-the-hassle-out-of-group-fund-collection/
  20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi2B6tDSxIg
  21. https://stanforddaily.com/2015/10/22/tilt-app/
  22. https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/20/crowdtilt-publicly-launches-its-open-source-customizable-crowdfunding-platform-now-called-crowdtiltopen/
  23. https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2016/09/90510-brief-crowdfunding-platform-tilt-launches-new-hosting-event-feature/
  24. https://techcrunch.com/2014/08/28/tilt-the-startup-formerly-known-as-crowdtilt-drops-fees-for-groups-pooling-money/
  25. https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/Tilt-Launches-iOS8-Mobile-App-Making-Crowdfunding-Free-for-All-19061423/
  26. https://bestcompany.com/crowd-funding/tilt
  27. https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2016/08/88919-tilt-unveils-new-peer-peer-feature-request-send-money/
  28. https://stackshare.io/tilt/how-tilt-is-building-the-fastest-growing-crowdfunding-platform
  29. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/crowdtilt-launches-crowdtiltopen-allowing-individuals-110000123.html
  30. https://techcrunch.com/2012/12/12/crowdtilt-api/
  31. https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/47786/crowdtilt-launches-crowdfunding-api
  32. https://web.archive.org/web/20130113060319/https://www.crowdtilt.com/learn/developers
  33. https://fortune.com/2014/11/12/tilt-future-crowdfunding/
  34. https://winners.webbyawards.com/2014/specialachievement/237/jamaican-bobsled-team
  35. https://www.fastcompany.com/3069164/how-tilt-veered-off-course
  36. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/crowdtilt
  37. https://techcrunch.com/2012/11/21/group-funding-platform-crowdtilt-opens-to-non-profits-now-offers-tax-deductible-donations-receipts/
  38. https://www.businessinsider.com/crowdtilt-kickstarter-alternative-2012-11
  39. https://www.crowdtilt.com/examples
  40. https://allthingsd.com/20121121/crowdfunding-for-a-cause-non-profits-can-now-hold-fundraisers-on-crowdtilt/
  41. https://domainnamewire.com/2021/11/08/airbnb-fails-to-recover-tilt-com-through-cybersquatting-dispute/
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