Velocity Capital Group (VCG) Secures New $50 Million Credit Facility
February 14, 2022
CEDARHURST, NEW YORK—FEBRUARY 14, 2022– Velocity Capital Group (VCG), a leading provider of same-day capital advances to small businesses, has secured a multi-draw term funding line of credit with Arena Investors, LP, a global institutional alternative asset manager. The line of credit will provide VCG with borrowing capacity up to $50 million and deep pool of capital from which to expand its business, further strengthening VCG’s ability to provide funding for small business merchants. Though the name VCG may be new to some, the company is no stranger to alternative finance. Eleven years of experience in the space with over 25,000 funded clients has helped their team understand what merchants need most during the funding process, primarily trustworthiness and speed.
Since VCG’s inception, CEO/Principal Jay Avigdor has made it his mission to provide an efficient and flexible funding experience and product for merchants. “We’re setting new strides for speed and service every year. 2022 is going to be even more impactful for VCG and our stakeholders!” said an enthused Jay Avigdor. “We have a big opportunity for us this year to build on last year’s initiatives. This line will give us the wings we truly need to fly! Giving us the ability to fund larger deals and provide longer terms.” said Jay. The previous year, VCG made news by switching to their own internally developed processing software for deal applications called Drag-in. The software pulls critical data from VCG’s applications to conduct all necessary screenings via API, then uploads that data to their CRM with the click of a button. Drag-in gives VCG the ability to provide offers within minutes rather than hours, giving them a leg up on the industry. Stakeholders have been thrilled with the improved response time on their deals. Drag-in is Currently working on a beta version to provide multiple other industries.
Speed isn’t the VCG’s only focus. “Merchants and ISOs alike deserve to have more control of the capital they’re provided,” Jay added. In August 2021, Velocity Capital Group began offering ISOs and Merchants the option to receive their capital in a Cryptocurrency. Primarily sent through as stable coins (USDC, DAI, USDT). “Due to the cut-off times within which banks have to operate, they can become a bottleneck for our transactions. The opportunity for providing capital in Crypto couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Jay. Available to transfer during all times of the day, funding in Cryptocurrency was added as an option for how Merchants & ISOs receive capital.
“We are excited to facilitate VCG’s activities in small business finance at a time when there are limited options and great needs for capital, and where VCG can provide that capital without unduly burdening merchants receiving it. This transaction fits well with Arena’s broader mission to provide flexible, scalable funding solutions for companies and ideas which have unique growth or liquidity needs. We look forward to working with Jay and his team,” said Victor Dupont, who leads Arena’s investments in the SME sector.
The new line of credit gives steady rails for Velocity Capital Group to continue growing and funding at a significant rate into 2023. “We anticipate we will do north of 150M in funding this year with our current deal flow and this new line. We can provide well-needed cash during these troubling times to small businesses and fuel their success while growing ours as well. We can help small businesses access funding like never before in company history. Through implementing Drag-in, this new credit line with Arena, and with our amazing loyal employees and brokers, the sky is only the limit! ” remarked Jay.
About Velocity Capital Group
Velocity Capital Group helps small businesses all over the United States access capital at incredible speeds. Our team has serviced over 25,000 clients in under 11 years. We’ve grown our business to great heights by focusing on speed, efficiency, and transparency.
About Arena Investors, LP
Arena Investors is an institutional asset manager founded in partnership with The Westaim Corporation (TSXV: WED). With $2.8 billion of committed assets under management as of January 1, 2022, and a team of over 100 employees in six offices globally, Arena provides creative solutions for those seeking capital in special situations. The firm brings individuals with decades of experience, a track record of comfort with complexity, the ability to deliver within time constraints, and the flexibility to engage in transactions that cannot be addressed by banks and other conventional financial institutions. See www.arenaco.com for more information.
Velocity Capital Group Specializes in Funding
Up to $1 Million Same-Day thru MCA (1st thru 4th Positions), Reverse Consolidations, & Consolidations
NEW ISOs Sign up to Fund with Velocity Here
We’re Hiring – Join one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry!
Do you have a book of business and experience managing relationships with ISOs?
Join VCG and we’ll beat any competing commission structure!
Why FundThrough Acquired BlueVine’s Factoring Business
January 13, 2022
“I know it might seem sudden for you, but we’ve been engaged in discussions since the Summer, and [BlueVine] has been in discussions internally for certainly longer than that.”
FundThrough announced their acquisition of the factoring division of BlueVine on Thursday. A deal that has been long in the works will make the Canadian factoring company’s American portfolio 80 percent of their business.
“From FundThrough’s perspective, we’ve always had BlueVine’s factoring business on our radar,” said FundThrough’s Co-founder and CEO Steven Uster, exclusively to AltFinanceDaily. “We started around the same time, they grew their business nicely, and then they started to branch out to other products.”
Uster spoke about BlueVine outgrowing their factoring business, while FundThrough was growing enough to acquire it. “From the outside looking in, it looked like this might’ve been turning into a non-core asset for them, but yet very core for us.”
For FundThrough, the move is substantial. The company has acquired their largest competitor’s inaugural product. According to Uster, the move brings two companies together who are starkly similar in more ways than just the product they sell.
“We share similar cultures, we’re much smaller obviously as a whole, but our factoring business is bigger,” he said. “We share a similar mindset, we’re also a technology based business, our systems are quite similar, so the move [will] be an easier, elegant transition.”
“We determined that FundThrough is perfectly positioned to serve our factoring clients with the care and individual attention they need and deserve,” said Eyal Lifshitz, Co-founder and CEO of BlueVine. “Our factoring clients will be in great hands with FundThrough.”
Lifshitz spoke on his company’s growth, and how the move will allow the company to focus on better serving their existing customers. “Since launching BlueVine, we’ve been focused on the financial needs of small businesses and are very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. As we evolve our products and services, we continuously examine how we can better serve our customers at scale.”
According to Uster, fintech-inspired invoice factoring has sparked unprecedented interest in the financial world lately. While he is unsure of the reason, the engagement and inquiries FundThrough has received prior to the acquisition have been significantly higher than in the past.
“Something shifted over the last twelve months,” Uster said. “All of the sudden, without much branding, we have been getting a bunch of inquiries about partnering and providing this embedded invoice factoring solution.”
With their acquisition comes confidence, and it sounds like FundThrough is ready to be on the forefront of tech-infused financing. “[The acquisition] provides us the scale to be the partner of choice. We are now the players in the market,” Uster said.
“If you want to offer tech enabled instant funding on invoices in your B2B marketplace, FundThrough is now the solution.”
New York’s Commercial Financing Disclosure Law to Undergo Further Comment and Review
January 4, 2022
Implementation of the New York Commercial Financing Disclosure law originally intended to go into effect four days ago, is now subject to another delay on top of the existing one, with no official date on when compliance will be required.
Seeing as the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) was still accepting comments on the proposed regulation through December 20th, DFS had originally granted covered companies a six-month reprieve on compliance. But after having reviewed the comments, DFS determined that it’s actually back to the drawing board on a regulatory proposal. Sometime “early in the new year,” DFS said, it will publish a revised proposal for further public comment.
“Given the complexity of the disclosures required by the CDFL (Commercial Financing Disclosure Law), we believe the Legislature intended that the Department first provide regulatory guidance regarding the standardized disclosures required to be provided under the CDFL,” said Serwat Farooq, a Deputy Superintendent at DFS, in a published statement. “Waiting to commence CDFL obligations until implementing regulations are in place will ensure that the disclosures are made in a consistent, standardized fashion. This will help businesses understand the terms and conditions of the various forms of credit being offered to them, the very intent of the CDFL.”
AltFinanceDaily’s Top Five Stories of 2021
December 20, 2021
deBanked’s most read stories of 2021 were similar but different to those read in 2020. We broke them down into categories by popularity.
1. Scandal
A South Florida business apparently masquerading as a small business finance company, was by far and away the most read story of 2021. Authorities now believe that it was a $200M+ ponzi scheme with more than 5,500 investors. Unlike other alleged schemes that have rocked the finance world, thousands of people believe the allegations are not true and have rallied around the CEO.
2. Domain Life after Death
The Death of a Thousand Financial Companies, the leading story of AltFinanceDaily’s March/April 2021 magazine issue, was the 2nd most popular across 2021. In it, AltFinanceDaily went undercover to find out what happened to the domain names of financial companies that went out of business. The findings were terrifying. (See: Video discussion about the story)
3. Real Estate Investing
Think what you want about crypto as the future because when it came down to it, AltFinanceDaily readers were vastly more interested in real estate investing. Why Funders Are Investing in Real Estate As Their Side Hustle of Choice was the 3rd most read story of 2021. “[Real estate is] just a way that people who have been successful and spin off a lot of cash for their businesses see as a safe way to diversify their income,” said a lawyer that was interviewed for the story.
4. Regulation
It was a close call between several stories pertaining to regulation. While interest in CFPB-related activity ranked high, so too did a court decision in Florida that ruled on the legality of merchant cash advances. The New York commercial financing disclosure law was also top of mind for many readers as was interest in proposed legislation in Maryland.
5. An Exit
The fall of LendUp, an online consumer lending company, was apparently of great interest in 2021. After some difficult encounters with regulators, the company ceased lending operations. “Although we are no longer lending, we also offer a series of free online education courses designed to boost your financial savvy fast,” the company’s website now says.
How a Former Banker is Servicing Clients that Turned Down Alternative Funding Offers
December 15, 2021
What do brokers do with the clients that don’t want to pay the costs of an alternative product, but are still too underqualified for traditional financing?
Juan Caban, CEO and Co-Founder of Financial Lynx, has leveraged his interpersonal relationships as a former banker with his passion for networking and his discovery of a niche type of client into a business that is now spread across 44 states. Lenders aren’t the only ones turning down deals, the applicants do too, he says.
Caban built a referral business by talking to people, being an active member of the industry, and taking advantage of pandemic-induced halts in business to research the best ways to serve a section of business owners that prior to Financial Lynx, were either using less attractive products or never taking on financing at all.
“I’m a big networker,” said Caban. “I always go out, I meet a lot of people, I always get referrals from a lot of different areas.” He spoke about how as a decade-long banker with major banks, he knew right off the bat in his career that traditional financing was excluding financially-sound merchants who weren’t meeting overzealous bank qualifications.
“I would meet people who want to do business with me and I would present it to my bank, but it was always a challenge,” Caban said. “You want to help out a client, but you’re limited to the credit appetite of the bank that you are working for. After getting frustrated and declining a lot of clients, I wanted to seek out how I can help these clients out.”
After leaving the traditional finance world in 2019, Caban began work at an alternative lender, where the doors to a variety of new options opened up for him.
Caban still felt limited in his abilities to get deals done because of the confines funders mandate through their qualifications, and left to start his own company within seven months. After seeing a market in financing for merchants who fall between the high risk and traditional financing qualification threshold, he began talking to people across the financial community about what products exist for these types of clients.
“I used my banker network, I probably know about 200 bankers here in New York, and I started asking them, ‘hey, do you have a program in your bank that can help this type of client?’” Seeing that merchants with good credit and no desire to pay a 40% cost of capital were being pushed aside throughout the industry, Caban decided to pursue a business out of servicing this type of merchant.
“What I found was that there are some banks out there that as long as [the merchant] has a 700 FICO score, has been in business at least two years, and are considered to be in a preferred industry, some banks are willing to lend in some cases 20% of annual sales, up to $250,000, with just an application and one year of tax returns.”
The lending services being provided through Financial Lynx based on these qualifications are bank lines of credit that revolve and renew annually.
Caban described the qualifications for this type of financing as a look into the business owner themselves, and not as much into the business. “[These banks] focus on you as an individual and if you have personal credit.”
The concept took off.
“I started working exclusively with one MCA broker shop, they were calling hundreds of businesses a day,” said Caban. “They were trying to sell [merchants] cash advances obviously because it is a very lucrative commission business, but anything that was non-cash advance, or didn’t fit the cash advance space, or merchants who wouldn’t accept the expensive cash advances, they would refer that client to me.”
The twist is that the banks don’t pay him a commission so he has to charge a fee to the merchant once the financing is completed.
“At the end of the day I feel good because I am providing the client with something that they couldn’t find on their own,” Caban said. “So I am helping the client, and almost 100% of my clients are satisfied with what they have, because they’re getting cheap financing, 5% instead of 30% money, so even with my 10% consulting fee to connect the client, it’s still 50% cheaper than what they would’ve gotten in any type of cash advance.”
The biggest hesitancy Caban sees from alternative finance companies in terms of working with his niche product and client is the patience required in dealing with bigger banks. “Everything is quick in MCA, [brokers] get approved today, get funded today, and get paid tomorrow. I say look, I can provide the client what you’re looking for, but it is a three week process.”
“The ones that say, ‘hey we want to do what’s best for the client,’ they buy into it, they send us referrals on a constant basis,” Caban continued. “The ones that say ‘it’s taking too long, they’re not into it’ and I tell them ‘you’re going to lose that client eventually.’ As opposed to losing them, make some money out of it before you leave them.”
Trying to convince the legitimacy of his product seems to be part of the daily ritual for Caban. “Having a bank line of credit is considered a unicorn in the industry. Everyone says that they have it, but it’s not really a line of credit. We’re actually providing true lines of credit. It’s truly a revolving line of credit.”
“It’s always a thing where it’s like, are you for real?”
AMEX’s Journey from Courier to Creditor
November 24, 2021
Have you swiped your American Express card lately?
If so, you belong to one of the most ambitious company pivots ever known. The credit card company known for its prestigious clientele was once a shipping company and up until the early 1900’s, it exclusively shipped stuff at an expedited pace across America.
The origins of the namesake comes from the company’s previous model, an express courier service in the mid 1800s. During that time, “express” services were the next up-and-coming industry. These services allowed quick and precise shipping of small, valuable items around the United States, and were frequent among people who were concerned with the fragility of their items. It was also a second, faster option to the US Postal Service.
By 1850, the top express services realized that their competition was doing more harm than good for one another. That’s when three New York-based express companies owned by Henry Wells, William Fargo, and John Butterfield combined their companies into one, dubbing the new service American Express.
During the formation of American Express, the California gold rush was at its peak. Promises of new cities that were an escape from the smog dens of the east coast brought millions of Americans out west. Wells and Fargo, the first President and Vice President of American Express, respectively, moved out to San Francisco in an attempt to extend American Express to the west coast during this time.
Wells and Fargo were discouraged by their colleagues at American Express to branch out west, and were forced to simultaneously run American Express in the East, and their new company in the west. This western venture became known as Wells Fargo.
Throughout the rest of the 1800s, American Express continued their ventures in express shipping, expanding operations into railways and expanding their routes around the east coast. The Civil War was a huge growth spurt for the company as the demand for express shipping skyrocketed.
After both Wells and Fargo made their way through the ranks at American Express, both serving as President prior to their departure, it was James Fargo, the son of William, who some say is the individual who introduced the idea of providing financial services for customers in 1891. James was the one to introduce American Express’ money order, a cheaper and more modern version of a system already in place by the postal service at that time. American Express became the provider of the go-to money order for immigrants who wished to send money to their families in various parts of the world. After the huge success of the money orders, this led to the company releasing their trademark product, the traveler’s check, at the turn of the century.
Their full blown transition to financial services occurred in 1918, when the US government nationalized all express shipping companies as part of the World War I fighting effort. This resulted in the company being left only to function off of its two side ventures, money orders and travelers checks.
These stayed relatively stagnant for the next fifty-or-so years until American Express started to become what we know them as in today’s market. In 1958, the company issued its first credit card. Half a million people signed up for the card in its first 90 days on the market.
The rest is history. The charge card, then the tier’d cards, followed by their prestigious centurion or “black” card, the options expanded into different tiers of luxury through credit. This prestige that justifies the consumer fee, combined with the high fees they charge merchants to process the payments, is why the company is so successful. As American Express clients tend to make and spend more money, merchants are inclined to take American Express cards to attract their market, and just consider the higher fees as just a cost of doing business.
Not only is American Express an impeccable example of brand construction and marketing, but a great learning opportunity for any business who is forced to change their business model due to extenuating circumstances. Their story gives the notion that no matter the size of the company, the opportunities are endless with the right balance of dedication, innovation, and calculated risk taking.
Not Just For Salespeople: Becoming a Certified Small Business Finance Professional
November 23, 2021
Its aim is to become an industry standard. The newly launched Certified Small Business Finance Professional (CSBFP) program will first become available at Broker Fair in New York City on December 6th.
But what’s the difference between this one and others? Steve Denis, Executive Director of the Small Business Finance Association (SBFA), says that his organization’s backing of the CSBFP makes all the difference.
“We’re the largest trade group in the space without question,” Denis said, adding that the group has about 30 members, several of which are among the largest in the country.
“It’s going to be a signal that you’re doing things the right way and want to go out of your way to show that you are doing things the right way,” Denis said.
The certification will require applicants to complete a course centered on understanding products, laws governing the industry, and compliance. The certification exam will focus on testing applicants’ ability to understand key concepts and best practices.
This course is designed to be taken in person. While it will be available at Broker Fair, Denis said that they plan to partner with other events as well.
“We’re going to focus on as many in-person training sessions as possible,” he said.
And it’s not just salespeople they’re targeting. Underwriters, collectors, support staff, and more are not only all welcome to obtain their certification, but are also encouraged.
“It’s open to anyone in the industry,” Denis said. “The more the better. […] It will send a very strong message that there is a diverse group of people that want to take a certification and take it very seriously.”
In the official announcement, it was stated that it would be more than just a stamp and that certified professionals would also be provided with “a way to connect, learn and grow beyond the initial education process.”
Denis compared the CSBFP standard to CFPs (Certified Financial Planners) in the financial advisor space.
Attendees of Broker Fair 2021 can take the course at the event at no extra charge.
Ireland is Funding Fintech Through Government Investment
November 2, 2021
The Irish government has taken a serious liking to fintech. With a broad history of being active in financial services, the nation believes they can attract companies from around the world to reap the benefits of employing Irish citizens, while also tapping a major source of export revenue through an up-and-coming industry.
With access to capital for small businesses just as difficult here as it is in the US, a new fintech company looking for start-up cash may be able to turn to Dublin to get a major investment, rather than dealing with a retail investor or a venture capital firm here in the states. Enterprise Ireland, the organzation that runs these programs, is trying to tempt fintech companies looking for a fresh start or an international expansion to start that process in Ireland.
“Enterprise Ireland is the trade development and venture capital arm of the Irish Government,” said Claire Verville, Senior Vice President of Fintech and Financial Services at Enterprise Ireland. “We are a semi state agency and our mandate is to help support indigenous Irish enterprise to grow and expand in global markets.”
Just like in the United States, it is extremely difficult for an Irish business to walk into a big bank and get a loan. It’s in these situations where the Irish government has decided to make a direct investment themselves. Through Enterprise Ireland, according to Verville, the Irish government can provide capital to startups across a range of areas, in exchange for things like loan repayment or government equity in the company.
“In addition to the kind of more traditional trade development stuff that you would see from any government promoting their indigenous businesses abroad, we do invest directly in companies through equity and participate directly as a [limited partner] in funds to funds.”
Verville spoke about how the Irish government has been looking to extend funding to fintech startups for some time. “Our fintech portfolio is over 200 companies now, we have been one of the most active investors in Europe in a long time. We are one of the most active global investors across all sectors, and we’re really focused on early stage capital for fintech.”
When asked about the decision making process that goes into Irish investments, Verville portrayed it the same as if it was a private firm making the same move. “We will vet like any other investment, make sure we’re comfortable with it, make sure that the business is verifiable, and that we understand the track record of the team,” she said.
Through investing in fintech, Enterprise Ireland appears to believe they will give their small business owners better access to capital. If the industry can create a Euro-American hub in Ireland, the latest tech and funding innovations will develop there, giving access to that technology to Irish businesses first. If Irish small business lenders can use Irish technology to help an Irish merchant, everyone wins.
With financial innovation in Europe being leaps ahead of the US, Verville believes the Irish employees working in finance would be better suited to deal with some of these new innovations over Americans because of their familiarity with these systems that are already in place. She hinted at things like EMV cards being around in Ireland for years at the consumer level before they ever made it to the United States.
As far as incentive for profit, Enterprise Ireland isn’t concerned with the success of their investment from a financial perspective as other investment groups are. They instead focus on things like employment numbers and longterm sustainability for those jobs acquired through their efforts in investing in industries like fintech.
“Because we are attached to the government, we aren’t a money-making mission as far as venture capitalists go. We are focused on employment in Ireland, which is partly why it’s so important that the companies are founded in Ireland and that they are building their employee base in Ireland, and on export revenue.”
Verville spoke about how only when businesses in Ireland do well, Enterprise Ireland only does well, too. “We do make money off some of our investments, and that’s government money. We get our budget set by the government department every year, just like any other government agency.”
To be eligible for funding from Enterprise Ireland, a business needs to be based in Ireland, have an Irish LLC, and must have a significant amount of Irish employees. According to Verville, the Irish market is ripe for American small businesses, especially alternative finance.
