FINTECH: Acorns Grow hires first chief investment officer as it nears going public

Acorns Grow Inc. of Irvine reported Oct. 12 it has appointed Seth Wunder as its first chief investment officer ahead of its expected public listing.

Acorns is a micro-investing app that has a reported 4 million users who have collectively invested over $9.6 billion since its launch in 2012.

“We see a huge and novel opportunity to give our customers the ability to get more active while staying diversified,” of Acorns CEO Noah Kerner said. “Seth will fuel our ability to offer new and more customized investment offerings that will let everyday Americans be more engaged in their financial futures.”

Wunder will work closely with Acorns’ newly appointed Chief Education and Content Officer Kennedy Reynolds to integrate personalized guidance and related educational resources, the company said.

“Acorns stands apart in the fintech ecosystem as a company with a long term vision, driven by the financial best interests of its customers,” Wunder said. “It’s more important than ever to educate investors on the significance of taking a long term view and utilizing techniques like dollar-cost averaging in a diversified portfolio.”

Acorns plans to go public by the end of 2021 through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal with a valuation topping $2.2 billion.