Acorns, the savings and investing startup, has acquired EarlyBird, a platform known for enabling families and friends to gift investments to children. The Acorns EarlyBird acquisition marks a major step in Acorns’ mission to build a comprehensive financial wellness ecosystem for families.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. As part of the acquisition, EarlyBird will shut down, and all customer accounts will be officially closed by June 23, 2025. Users will receive refunds to their linked bank accounts, and funds cannot be transferred directly to Acorns.
Founded in 2019, EarlyBird stood out by combining investment gifting with digital memories, allowing users to create video time capsules alongside monetary contributions. These gifts were intended to help children pay for college, buy a first home, or even start a business once they reached adulthood.
Acorns Doubles Down on Family Finance With Acorns Early
With this acquisition, EarlyBird’s co-founders Jordan Wexler and Caleb Frankel will join the Acorns team to help enhance Acorns Early, the company’s smart money app for kids and teens. Acorns Early already provides a debit card for children, along with tools for developing financial literacy, and was launched following Acorns’ 2023 acquisition of GoHenry, another youth-focused fintech.
“Our vision is to build a financial wellness system for the whole family,” said Acorns CEO Noah Kerner. “The shared experiences and insights between our two teams will help us deliver this vision faster and better, creating maximum value for everyday American families.”
As a part of the transition, existing EarlyBird users will be offered a free one-year subscription to Acorns Gold, which grants access to the full suite of Acorns products — including Acorns Early.
While EarlyBird users won’t be able to port their accounts directly into Acorns Early, they can withdraw their funds and start fresh with an Acorns account. Over time, Acorns plans to integrate EarlyBird’s signature time capsule feature into its platform. This functionality allowed users to attach video memories to investment gifts — like a parent recording a personal message for a child when giving a monetary gift for a milestone moment.
Acorns Eyes the Full Family Unit
The acquisition aligns with Acorns’ broader strategy of creating products for every stage of family life. The company has reportedly doubled its Acorns Gold customer base — its $12/month subscription plan — in the past year.
“The Gold Plan will be where parents, kids, and everyone in the family manage money together and build smart financial habits,” Kerner said.
Acorns last raised $300 million in March 2022, valuing the company at $2 billion. While no updated valuation was provided with the EarlyBird announcement, the move reflects Acorns’ continued expansion in the family fintech market.
