MDC Selects Ascent for Accelerator Program

Ascent to Join Second Cohort of Credit Union Network's Innovation Initiative

NEW YORK - December 18, 2025  Ascent Platform, the leader in AI-powered banking intelligence solutions, has been selected to join the second cohort of the Members Development Company (MDC) Accelerator. As part of the program, Ascent will strengthen its go-to-market strategy with credit unions and deepen partnerships with affiliated credit unions serving millions of members nationwide.

MDC’s Accelerator Program connects innovative fintechs with credit unions to accelerate the path from pilot to partnership. MDC serves as the credit union network's multi-million-dollar R&D department, pooling resources from approximately 80 credit union and CUSO owners to deliver actionable solutions efficiently and affordably. The accelerator provides participating companies with access to credit union decision-makers, industry expertise, and strategic guidance to solve real-world challenges.

"Ascent is revolutionizing how financial institutions leverage data and AI to understand and serve their customers," said Ascent co-founder and CEO Arjun Sahgal. "This opportunity is about more than acceleration: it's about partnering with credit unions to deliver the unified data foundation and AI capabilities they need to compete in today's rapidly evolving landscape. We're honored to join MDC's cohort and excited to learn from and collaborate with the credit union community."

Through the MDC Accelerator, Ascent will work closely with credit unions to refine data unification and AI capabilities that meet the unique needs of member-focused financial institutions. The partnership provides Ascent with direct access to credit union decision-makers and the opportunity to pilot solutions that address the industry's most pressing challenges around member understanding and operational efficiency.

"This opportunity is about more than acceleration: it's about partnering with credit unions to deliver the unified data foundation and AI capabilities they need to compete in today's rapidly evolving landscape."

Arjun Sahgal, CEO of Ascent

About Members Development Company (MDC)

Members Development Company (MDC) is a future-focused network accelerating credit union success. As the credit union network's multi-million-dollar R&D department, MDC functions as a research-for-development incubator for its owners. By pooling the resources of approximately 80 credit union and CUSO owners representing over $390 billion in total assets and 22 million members, MDC scans the horizon, researches emerging issues, and creates actionable solutions to solve problems for today and tomorrow. MDC's work is driven by its owners, for its owners—credit unions serve not just as investors, but as partners who both advise and participate in development work.

For more information, visit membersdevelopment.com/.

About Ascent Platform

Ascent is the next-generation platform that provides lenders with the ability to streamline any and all product applications and forms without disrupting existing systems and processes. Ascent replaces the patchwork of full-stack product applications, static web forms, and PDFs with intelligent applications and forms featuring prefilled data, optional pre-screening rules and logic, and collaborative document collection. Most importantly, the platform learns from every interaction, and uses those learnings to make subsequent experiences more contextual, with fewer questions for the borrower and less work for the lender. Using Ascent's no-code builder, lenders can rapidly configure and deploy beautiful, bespoke applications and forms at their own pace.

For more information, please visit ascentplatform.io

Sophia Lopez
Marketing and PR Associate

sophia@ascentplatform.io