This recognition comes after Goodbuy's CUSO launch and a $1 million investment from credit unions, underscoring the momentum behind its member-powered growth model
Acquiring customers in financial services usually means spending more than your rivals. Goodbuy is showing there is a better way—turning a credit union’s own membership into the engine for growth.”— Greg Palmer, VP and Host, FinovateBOISE, ID, UNITED STATES, July 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Goodbuy, the small business rewards platform tailored for financial institutions, revealed today that it has been selected as a finalist in the 2026 Finovate Awards within the Best Marketing/Customer Acquisition Solution category. The winners will be unveiled on September 10, 2026, at FinovateFall in New York City.
The Finovate Awards celebrate the banks, financial institutions, and fintech companies that are driving the industry forward. In the Best Marketing/Customer Acquisition Solution category, Goodbuy was chosen alongside other finalists Naehas, Paige, and Policybazaar.ae.
"Customer acquisition in financial services frequently means outspending your competition,” said Greg Palmer, VP and Host of Finovate. "Goodbuy is proving there's a smarter path, turning a credit union's own membership into the growth engine. Applying that same logic to the small business side of the house is the kind of creative solution that we love to recognize at the Finovate Awards. Congrats to the Goodbuy team on making it to the final round!”
Goodbuy’s platform provides financial institutions with a fresh approach to growing small business relationships without requiring extra staff or major system overhauls. Small businesses get access to a financial institution’s member base via a white-label marketplace, members enjoy discounts when shopping locally, and financial institutions see growth in deposits and non-interest income while expanding an underserved segment of their portfolio.
This finalist recognition follows an impressive period for the Boise-based company, which registered as a credit union service organization (CUSO) and obtained a $1 million investment from a coalition of credit union partners earlier this year, building on a 2025 victory at NACUSO’s Next Big Idea Competition. Goodbuy's platform is already operational with credit unions such as Georgia's Own Credit Union, which recently introduced its partnership with Goodbuy to help members find and support local businesses.
“For decades, customer acquisition in financial services has meant buying awareness through bigger campaigns and sponsorships, results that are often hard to measure," said Cara Oppenheimer, CEO and co-founder of Goodbuy. "We built Goodbuy around a different idea: give members real value they'll come back for, and growth follows. Being named a finalist alongside some of the industry's most innovative companies tells us financial institutions are ready for that shift, one that's more local and more measurable.”
:Oppenheimer will also be on hand at FinovateFall in person, alongside co-founder CaryTelander Fortin: Finovate Fall 2026 Demo Scholarship for women- and minority-founded fintech companies, and the two will take the stage for a live product demo during the event.
About Goodbuy
Founded in 2021, Goodbuy is a CUSO and community rewards platform built for financial institutions. Its white-label marketplace — online and in-person connects FI members with local small businesses, giving those businesses access to a qualified customer base they can't reach through traditional marketing. For FIs, the platform drives new business account acquisition, grows existing relationships and generates growth in business deposits and non-interest income. Members access discounts shopping locally at participating businesses, creating value across the FI and the community it serves. For more information, visit trygoodbuy.com.
Steve Jensen
Surge PR
Steve@surge-pr.com
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