“Can a modern 401(k) platform — built with leverage, alternatives, and AI — become the retirement infrastructure layer for vertical SaaS and HR platforms?”
Founded in 2023, Basic Capital set out to rebuild the 401(k) from scratch rather than layer features onto legacy recordkeeping infrastructure. Its core innovation is 'The Retirement Mortgage' — a proprietary financing product that provides $4 of leveraged capital for every $1 a participant contributes, combining leverage, diversified investing, and LLC-based liability protection. By 2025 it emerged from stealth with $25M Series A backing and began embedding its retirement plan directly into third-party payroll and HR platforms via a Check partnership, positioning itself as 401(k) infrastructure for the vertical SaaS era.
Basic Capital runs its ledger on Fragment.
Basic Capital's payroll is powered by Check.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 3 layers in Basic Capital's stack: Ledger (Fragment); Lending (The Retirement Mortgage (4:1 investment financing)); Payroll (Check).
Basic Capital is founded in 2023 and headquartered in New York, NY (52 Walker Street, 5th Floor).
Basic Capital has raised $25M+ in total (latest round: Series A, August 2025).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Basic Capital and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.