# Robinhood

**Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/robinhood  
**Vertical:** Finance  
**Subcategory:** Neobanking and Neobrokerage  
**Tier:** Emerging  
**Website:** robinhood.com  
**Last Updated:** 2026-04-14

## Summary

NASDAQ-listed (HOOD) commission-free retail investing at $2.95B revenue with 24.3M funded accounts; Bitstamp and TradePMR acquisitions expanding beyond trading to crypto exchange and RIA custody.

## Company Overview

Robinhood Markets is a Menlo Park, California-based commission-free investment and financial services platform — listed on NASDAQ (NASDAQ: HOOD) — providing retail investors with stock, ETF, options, and cryptocurrency trading alongside cash management (Robinhood Gold, 5%+ APY on uninvested cash), margin lending, and the Robinhood IRA with employer matching contributions. Founded in 2013 by Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt, Robinhood generated $2.95 billion in net revenue in fiscal year 2024 with 24.3 million funded accounts, serving the millennial and Gen-Z retail investor segment that Robinhood's zero-commission model helped bring to market investing for the first time.

Robinhood's commission elimination (launched 2014, widely copied by TD Ameritrade, Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity by 2019) democratized retail investing access by removing the $5-10 per trade fee that previously made small-position investing economically irrational. The payment for order flow (PFOF) revenue model (market makers pay Robinhood for routing customer orders to them) replaced commission revenue — a practice that attracted SEC scrutiny and congressional hearings following the GameStop meme stock episode (January 2021) when Robinhood temporarily restricted trading. Robinhood Gold ($5/month) provides premium features (larger instant deposits, margin borrowing, professional research) and the high-yield cash account that generates substantial interest income.

In 2025, Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD) competes in the retail investment and brokerage market with Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW), Fidelity (private), and Public.com for retail investor assets and trading activity, and with Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) for the crypto trading segment. Robinhood's 2024 acquisitions — Bitstamp (cryptocurrency exchange, $200M) for international crypto expansion and TradePMR (RIA custodian, $300M) for registered investment advisor custody — signal the product expansion beyond commission-free retail trading toward a full financial services platform. The 2025 strategy focuses on growing Robinhood Gold subscribers (high-margin subscription revenue), launching the prediction market product (event contracts, approved by CFTC), and building Robinhood Strategies (AI-powered portfolio management).

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is Robinhood?
Robinhood Robinhood serves retail investors as commission-free trading platform, NASDAQ $12B valuation, following 2013 Vlad Tenev founding with Baiju Bhatt in Palo Alto

### When was Robinhood founded?
Robinhood was founded in 2013 in Palo Alto, California. Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt (Stanford roommates) founded Robinhood in Palo Alto in 2013 as commission-free stock trading to democratize finance, navigated GameStop saga to NASDAQ $12B valuation.

### What are Robinhood's major milestones?
Robinhood's history includes several key milestones: 2013: Robinhood Founded Palo Alto 2018: Series E $5.6B Valuation 2021: IPO NASDAQ:HOOD GameStop Saga 2024: Trading Platform $12B

### What is Robinhood's mission?
Robinhood's mission is to Democratize finance for all.

### Who founded Robinhood?
Robinhood was founded by Vlad Tenev. Stanford math/physics grads who democratized stock trading

### What products or services does Robinhood offer?
Robinhood Robinhood serves retail investors as commission-free trading platform, NASDAQ $12B valuation, following 2013 Vlad Tenev founding with Baiju Bhatt in Palo Alto

### Who uses Robinhood?
Robinhood Robinhood serves retail investors as commission-free trading platform, NASDAQ $12B valuation, following 2013 Vlad Tenev founding with Baiju Bhatt in Palo Alto

### How does Robinhood make money without charging commissions?
Robinhood's primary revenue source is payment for order flow (PFOF)—routing customer stock and options orders to market makers like Citadel Securities and receiving payment for that order flow. Additional revenue comes from Robinhood Gold subscription fees, interest on cash balances and margin loans, and securities lending, though PFOF remains the largest component.

## Tags

b2c, fintech, mobile-first, public

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*Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*