M1 Finance is a privately held company owned by its parent, M1 Holdings Inc, with founder Brian Barnes remaining the largest known individual stakeholder and current Chief Executive Officer. It is not owned by a bank or a larger financial conglomerate.
M1 Finance is a fintech platform that combines automated investing, borrowing, and banking tools in a single app, letting users build custom portfolios called Pies that automatically rebalance over time.
Brian Barnes founded the company in Chicago in 2016, and it grew into a platform managing more than 12 billion dollars after a 2021 Series E funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2.
So how does a fintech startup founded less than a decade ago end up managing billions of dollars for self directed investors, and who really controls the company today?
This article looks at M1 Finance ownership structure, its parent company and investors, its founder and CEO, how its funding history has unfolded, how much the company is worth, its retirement and investment services, and how to reach M1 Finance customer support.
So let us get started.
Table of Contents
M1 Finance Company Overview
M1 Finance is a fintech platform that combines automated investing, borrowing, and banking tools in a single app.
The platform lets users build custom portfolios called Pies, which automatically rebalance based on target percentages the investor sets.
M1 also offers a cash management account, a credit card, and margin lending known as M1 Borrow.
| Company | Details |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | Brian Barnes |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| CEO | Brian Barnes |
| AUM | $12 billion plus (November 2025) |
| Structure | Privately held, venture backed |
M1 Finance Ownership and Parent Company
M1 Finance operates under its parent company, M1 Holdings Inc, which owns the brokerage, banking, and lending subsidiaries that make up the M1 platform.
The company is privately held and backed by venture capital investors rather than owned by a bank holding company.
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 is among the notable institutional investors that hold a stake following the company’s Series E funding round.
For a look at how a much larger, publicly traded brokerage compares, see our article on who owns Interactive Brokers.
M1 Finance Public or Private, Shareholders
M1 Finance is a private company, so it has no public stock ticker and cannot be bought on a stock exchange.
Its shareholders include founder Brian Barnes, employees holding equity, and venture capital firms that invested across multiple funding rounds.
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 led the company’s $150 million Series E round in 2021, which valued M1 Finance at roughly $1.45 billion at the time.
M1 Finance CEO and Founder
Brian Barnes founded M1 Finance in 2016 and continues to serve as its Chief Executive Officer today.
Before starting M1, Barnes worked in private equity and studied mechanical engineering, later applying an engineering minded approach to portfolio automation.
As both founder and CEO, Barnes has remained closely tied to the company’s product direction since its earliest years.
M1 Finance Ownership and Acquisition History
M1 Finance has grown mainly through venture funding rounds rather than through acquiring other companies, and it has not been acquired by an outside firm.
The company has instead expanded its own product lineup organically, adding banking and lending features to its original investing platform over time.
M1 Finance Financials: Revenue, Net Income, AUM or Valuation
As a private company, M1 Finance does not publish quarterly revenue or net income figures the way publicly traded firms do.
Its most recently disclosed valuation is $1.45 billion, set during its 2021 Series E funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2.
Assets under management on the platform have grown to more than $12 billion as of November 2025, according to company reporting.
M1 Finance Retirement and Investment Services
M1 Finance offers individual and joint taxable brokerage accounts, along with traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and SEP IRA retirement accounts.
Investors can build a custom Pie of stocks and exchange traded funds inside a retirement account, and M1 automatically rebalances toward the target allocation.
The platform does not offer employer sponsored 401(k) plans directly, since it is designed for individual investors rather than corporate plan sponsors.
M1 also provides margin lending through M1 Borrow and a cash management account, which are separate from its retirement account offerings.
M1 Finance’s cash management feature functions similarly to products offered by traditional banks, and readers curious how a large established bank compares can see our guide on who owns Ally Bank.
The company has continued to raise its profile among self directed investors who want more customization than a typical robo advisor but less complexity than a traditional full service brokerage.
M1 Finance Customer Service and Contact Information
M1 Finance’s Client Success team can be reached by phone at 312 600 2883, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time.
Users can also message support directly inside the app or website through the Help or Client Support option once logged in.
Separate email addresses are listed for login assistance and securities lending questions on the company’s official help center.
M1 Finance also integrates tax minimization tools into its rebalancing engine, which can help reduce unnecessary taxable events inside a standard brokerage account.
M1 Finance Headquarters
M1 Finance is headquartered at 200 North LaSalle Street in Chicago, Illinois.
The Chicago location houses the company’s engineering, product, and client support teams.
Is M1 Finance Worth It or Good?
M1 Finance is known for charging no commissions on trades and no advisory fee for its core automated investing Pies.
The platform has a presence on the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot, where reviewers generally comment on its automation features and occasionally on customer support response times.
- No commissions or advisory fees on core investing accounts
- Flexible custom portfolio Pies with automatic rebalancing
- Combines investing, borrowing, and banking in one app
- Limited live phone support hours compared to larger brokerages
- No employer sponsored 401(k) offering
- Fewer research tools than some full service brokerages
Anyone considering M1 Finance for retirement savings should compare its fee structure and available account types against other brokerages before committing.
Frequently Asked Questions About M1 Finance
Is M1 Finance a publicly traded company?
No. M1 Finance is privately held under parent company M1 Holdings Inc and has no public stock ticker.
Who owns M1 Finance?
M1 Finance is owned by M1 Holdings Inc, with founder and CEO Brian Barnes, company employees, and venture investors such as SoftBank Vision Fund 2 holding equity stakes.
Who founded M1 Finance and when?
Brian Barnes founded M1 Finance in 2016 in Chicago, Illinois, and continues to lead the company as CEO.
Does M1 Finance offer retirement accounts?
Yes, M1 Finance offers traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and SEP IRA accounts, though it does not provide employer sponsored 401(k) plans.
TechCrunch: M1 Finance Raises 150 Million in SoftBank Led Series E
M1 Finance Official About Page
I am Jack Neel, a mechanical engineer, researcher, and writer. I created this website to share my knowledge about different brands and products with you. I research the manufacturers behind the brands and provide you with the information you need to make smart buying decisions.