Updraft

Digital lending and credit app
Last updated:
January 27, 2026
Company details
HQ
HEADCOUNT
25-99
ORG TYPE
Startup
SECTOR
Finance
About the company
Updraft is a London-based lending, credit report, and financial planning app built around open banking and underwriting models that combine financial and behavioural signals. The company markets debt consolidation and cheaper credit as a way to help people move away from expensive revolving borrowing like credit cards and overdrafts. Public coverage around early 2024 put the user base at 500,000, while a 2026 placement-year job post claims 800k+ mobile app users. Updraft also describes itself as FCA-authorised / regulated via Fairscore Ltd.
Locations and presence
Updraft is London-headquartered with roles advertised in London and Manchester, often as hybrid. Public job listings also show a tech hiring footprint in Bengaluru, India.
Palpable Score
53.5
/ 100
Updraft has real early-career “front doors” through a placement-year analyst role and some 1–3 year roles, but the volume of junior hiring is not consistently visible. Hiring looks structured via an ATS, though interview feedback includes at least one ghosting complaint. Learning signals exist inside job descriptions, while hard outcome data for early-career progression is limited.
Pillar 1: Early-career access

Score

12.0
/ 20
  • The company advertises a Business Data Analyst placement year role restricted to second-year university students, which is a concrete early-career entry point.
  • Updraft posts roles that explicitly accept 1–3 years’ experience, such as Consumer Loans Underwriter, which is accessible to early-career applicants outside graduate schemes.
  • The company’s current open roles skew experienced in other areas (for example, a Credit Strategy Analyst needing 3+ years and senior engineering roles), limiting the overall junior mix.

Pillar 2: Hiring fairness and transparency

Score

11.3
/ 20
  • The company uses a formal ATS (Workable) with consistent listings and a standard apply flow rather than informal inbox hiring.
  • Updraft has interview feedback describing a “standard” process, but also at least one report of post-interview ghosting despite follow-ups.
  • The company does not clearly publish a stage-by-stage process, timelines, or assessment expectations on the main jobs landing page, which makes it harder for first-time candidates to judge effort and fairness.
Pillar 3: Learning and support

Score

11.8
/ 20
  • The company explicitly promises “Mentorship and Support” in the placement-year analyst posting, which is the kind of plain-language signal early-career candidates need.
  • Updraft frames the placement-year analyst role as working in a small team with direct access to senior management and cross-functional squads, which can translate into fast learning if managed well.
  • The company has limited third-party employee evidence at early-career level, so it is hard to verify how consistently coaching, 1:1s, and onboarding show up day-to-day.
Pillar 4: Pay fairness and stability

Score

10.2
/ 20
  • The company lists baseline benefits in role descriptions such as pension and health insurance, which supports stability for early-career hires.
  • Updraft shows some employer-provided salary ranges on third-party job aggregations, but salary ranges are not consistently visible on the primary job ads candidates apply through.
  • The company’s placement-year role is an early-career offer, but pay transparency for that role is not clearly stated on the main application page, capping confidence on pay fairness.
Pillar 5: Early-career outcomes

Score

8.2
/ 20
  • The company has a small number of employee reviews available publicly, which is not enough volume to judge early-career retention or promotion patterns reliably.
  • Updraft’s public footprint focuses on growth milestones and product traction rather than publishing progression paths, leveling, or internal mobility outcomes for junior staff.
  • The company’s LinkedIn footprint indicates a small team size band, but that does not reveal whether early-career hires are being promoted, staying 12–24 months, or being replaced frequently.
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