Brex: 2022 Top Startups for the Enterprise

Founders: Henrique Dubugras, Pedro Franceschi (co-CEOs)
Launched: 2017
Headquarters: San Francisco
Funding: $1.2 billion (PitchBook)
Valuation: $12.3 billion (PitchBook)
Key technologies: Cloud computing, machine learning
Category: Fintech

While Brex broke through as a fintech disruptor offering small businesses and startups access to credit lines and software to manage their finances, it's moved up the corporate food chain in recent years as some of its early clients grew into big companies. Brex boasts more than 10,000 corporate customers, including DoorDash and Airbnb.

While its main product – an unsecured, high-limit charge card for start-ups – exposes it to high-risk companies that could fail, the company manages risk by using real-time data on customers to help make dynamic lending decisions. Its business model is being put to the test in new ways as the tech sector shifts from growth at any cost to a focus on cash flow and profits. It recently exited the small business sector but expanded its services to include cash flow management software. In April, DoorDash became the first customer for Empower, a spend management tool which also covers travel, procurement, payments and banking access.