# Robinhood

> Robinhood is an American commission-free brokerage and financial services app that later added banking-like cash products.

Source: https://www.neobank.wiki/wiki/robinhood
Last updated: 2026-08-11
Categories: Financial technology, United States fintech, Brokerages, Public companies, Companies founded in 2013

**Robinhood** is an American financial technology company founded in 2013. Best known as a commission-free [brokerage](/wiki/list-of-neobanks), it expanded into crypto trading, retirement accounts and cash-management products that sit adjacent to [neobank](/wiki/neobank) offerings.[^rh1]

## History

Robinhood launched to retail investors with zero-commission stock trading and a mobile-first interface. Rapid growth made it a defining retail-brokerage brand of the late 2010s; it later listed publicly and broadened into multi-asset investing.

## Founders

**Vladimir Tenev** is co-founder and chief executive officer of [Robinhood](/wiki/robinhood). A Bulgarian-American mathematician and Stanford-trained physicist, Tenev co-founded Robinhood in 2013 with the mission of democratising finance through commission-free mobile brokerage. He has led the company through hypergrowth, the meme-stock era, its public listing (NASDAQ: HOOD) and expansion into crypto, retirement accounts and cash-management products adjacent to [neobank](/wiki/neobank) offerings.

**Baiju Bhatt** is co-founder of Robinhood and served as chief creative officer and earlier operational leader. Also Stanford-educated, Bhatt partnered with Tenev to design Robinhood's consumer brand and product simplicity that redefined U.S. retail investing UX in the 2010s.

## Reception

Robinhood redefined U.S. retail brokerage UX and faced intense scrutiny after the 2021 meme-stock trading restrictions and payment-for-order-flow debates. Cash management and cards place it adjacent to [neobanks](/wiki/neobank), though its core identity remains brokerage.

## Products

Core products include stocks and ETFs, options, cryptocurrency trading, IRAs and cash accounts with debit-card spending in some markets. Banking features are typically delivered with partner banks rather than a Robinhood banking charter.

## Infobox

- **Type**: Public (NASDAQ: HOOD)
- **Founded**: 2013
- **Founders**: Vladimir Tenev, Baiju Bhatt
- **Headquarters**: Menlo Park, U.S.
- **Focus**: Brokerage / investing

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Robinhood?

Robinhood is an American commission-free brokerage and financial services app that later added banking-like cash products.

### When was Robinhood founded?

Robinhood was founded in 2013.

### Where is Robinhood headquartered?

Robinhood is headquartered in Menlo Park, U.S..

### Who founded Robinhood?

Robinhood was founded by Vladimir Tenev, Baiju Bhatt.

### What type of company is Robinhood?

Robinhood is described as Public (NASDAQ: HOOD) in its neobank.wiki profile.


## References

[^rh1]: Robinhood Markets, Inc. is a publicly traded brokerage and fintech company.