Cognitect, creator of Clojure and Datomic, is now part of Nubank

Technology is one of Nubank’s pillars. From day one, we have relied on it to build smart, efficient and accessible financial products to our customers – and to create a 24/7 customer-service operation that can deliver the best possible experience to our users. 

Technology is key to our mission of empowering people and liberating them from financial distress, which is why we are happy to announce that we are welcoming a new team to our family. 

Cognitect, the US-based software consultancy company behind the functional programming language Clojure and the database Datomic, is now part of Nubank. 

With this acquisition, we are proud to welcome some of the most experienced Clojure engineers in the world, many of whom have already worked with us  in the past. 

Since 2014, Cognitect has been our partner and consultant for various projects. Now, we will be able to work closely together, building a team of global talents to deliver even better solutions to our 25 million customers. 

“By joining forces and combining Cognitect’s technical experience with Nubank’s scale and reach, there is no doubt we will be able to free even more people from the complexity of financial services across Latin America”, says David Veléz, founder and CEO of Nubank. 

“We have always used technology to solve problems, but with Nubank we get to have a true impact on people’s lives. Everyone in our team related from day one to its mission of fighting complexity and empowering people to be in control of their money. Now we get to contribute on a full time basis”, says Justin Gehtland, CEO and co-founder of Cognitect.

In addition to this acquisition, Nubank is keeping up with its efforts to hire professionals across all geographies. Only in the last year, we doubled the size of our engineering teams, which is made up of 575 persons.

“Welcoming the talented professionals from Cognitect will help us further improve our products as well as expand and scale operations in a sustainable manner. With the best talent, we are able to develop the best products for our customers”, explains Ed Wible, co-founder and CTO of Nubank. 

As part of this deal, Nubank will now be a key corporate sponsor of Clojure. 

“We fully commit to not only maintaining Clojure as an open-source language, but also contributing to its development and supporting the broader ecosystem. For those who currently use Clojure, nothing will change”, says Edward Wible, Nubank’s CTO.

Rich Hickey will remain at the helm of Clojure, which remains independent, and will continue to manage Clojure’s technical direction. Nubank will assume Cognitect’s role as sponsor for Clojure-related events around the world.

“Nubank will bring more visibility to the communities, as it is a globe spanning company committed to Clojure. As of today, at least half of the top US largest companies are using Clojure, but they are not using it as publicly or strategically as Nubank.” remarks Stuart Halloway co-founder of Cognitect.

Nubank is committed to continuing Datomic without disruption for all Datomic customers. All Datomic product offerings and customer relationships will continue. Stuart Halloway and Rich Hickey will continue to set the development roadmap, and Cognitect will continue to offer professional services supporting Datomic customers.

Considered the largest independent neobank in the world, Nubank was founded in Brazil in 2013.  Our first product was a no-fees credit card that can be fully managed by a mobile app; soon after, came other launches, such as a digital account and a rewards programs with non-expiring points.  As of 2020, we have 25 million clients and operations both in Brazil and Mexico, as well as technology hubs in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Berlin (Germany).  

Want to know a bit more about Nubank and Cognitect? You can check our CTO’s post here, and also Cognitect’s announcement on their platforms here (or click to see our Press Release).