Founded by Avinash Karnani and Ori Schnaps in 2006 as a startup company, Thrive was conceived when the founders noticed that their twenty and thirty-something peers had little access to credible financial planning.

[3] After entering private beta in early 2008, it was formally launched at Finovate 08 in October 2008[4] and reached the "$100 million under management" benchmark in less than two weeks.

[6] Thrive experts are frequently cited in the media giving commentary on financial issues, including splurge spending,[12] the psychology behind "Free",[13] and the interaction between the economy and technology.

[14] Key experts include Co-founder Avinash Karnani on economics and Generation X/Generation Y, Co-founder Ori Schnaps on technology and personal finance, Lead Scientist Matt Wallaert on social psychology, behavioral finance and decision making, and Outreach Coordinator Elisa Cundiff on financial literacy and outreach.

In July 2009, in sync with LendingTree's rebranding effort, Thrive created a white-labeled version of the site called MoneyRight.