The current process? A whole lot of waiting around as traditional lenders consider supplying credit access while the business is held back, if not jeopardized.
inFund is credit assessment made easy. We remove the roadblocks to growth withinnovative technology and a novel approach to credit assessment that makes obtaining financial backing much faster.
inFund not only helps MSMEs bridge their credit gap, we enable third-party suppliers and service providers to increase their customer base by approving credit for more MSMEs.
Together, our partners grow.
Because we understand that MSMEs face massive barriers to growth due to an inability to access credit from banks or other lenders and we think it’s time for a change.
As a result, they are denied access to credit because of their historical accounts.
A home improvement supply store (think Home Depot) offers business accounts with a line of credit. Since the process of approving credit is flawed, the store must unduly reject a large percentage of applicants, costing the business valuable partnerships and lost revenue.
What’s more, traditional lending systems exclude potential investors.
Maybe an accomplished couple late in their careers wants to support small businesses in the community where they plan to retire. But they’re uncertain how they might measure the risks to their capital. They’ve also considered acting as an alternative source of funding to the local community, but they lack the infrastructure to do so on their own.
That’s exactly why we created inFund. We provide businesses with greater access to funding and lines of credit. We enable suppliers to increase their customer base through a higher number of credit approvals. And we help investors enjoy greater returns over a shorter period of time and with less risk.
Even if the historical data that traditional lenders rely on existed for MSMEs (and it usually doesn’t), this information is often unverified, becomes outdated quickly, and leads to decision making based on inaccurate forecasting rather than factual statements.
Technology sets InFund apart.
We have developed a proprietary credit technology that is based around electronically verifiable business data points – current information rather than historical accounts.
Built as part of an Applied PhD with a top UK Business School, our technology evaluates business information that is actually relevant to the way MSMEs have to be run, and looks into the character (the way in which a business is operated, its spending habits) and capacity (ability to repay a loan) derived from these business data points.
The electronically verifiable data points are also collected through a proprietary and innovative component, which we are planning to expand into native plug-ins for more established data sources.
Our innovative technology and novel approach enable us to offer credit solutions to MSMEs in the form of unsecured financial products such as short-term loans and pre-approved lines of credit.
More credit approvals. More investment. Collective growth.
Believe it or not, roughly 99% of new businesses fall into the category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises – an enormous and underserved market with funding needs.
InFund is a total credit solution that benefits everyone involved in the MSME sector. Here’s a look at the different members of the credit ecosystem inFund helps and why it’s the ultimate credit solution for them.
The inFund platform provides MSMEs with access to credit solutions that support their growth. Up until now, there hasn’t been a credit assessment tool that could accurately gauge the credit health of MSMEs. This group includes small businesses that may already have accounts with a bank but do not fit the banks’ criteria for traditional loan products based upon personal credit score or availability of collateral. Because the proprietary technology of inFund allows them to submit up-to-date and verifiable business information, they can receive a proper assessment then gain access to business loans and lines of credit.
InFund furnishes investors with the granular business information they need to feel confident investing in the MSME sector. The investor metrics and investment tools are interactive, allowing investors to more easily form an opinion on portfolio decisions. Aware of less risk, they are able to more freely invest, taking advantage of opportunities for greater rewards. Investors also benefit from the feel-good factor of helping other businesses grow.
Third-party suppliers who use inFund will increase their customer base by successfully assessing the creditworthiness of more MSMEs than they are currently able to approve. They can offer a line of credit or trade account to more members of the MSME community who offer services and sell products. Adding business customers expands their marketplace and grows revenue.
By licensing and operating the inFund platform as a white label solution, individuals or businesses can create new communities in their marketplace. They become a source for providing proven alternative funding, and can support small business growth.
The inFund platform has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use. Clear and informative credit assessments aid both borrowers and lenders.
Key components of the platform that have been created by the inFund team can also be licensed separately to benefit other industries. The automated transactions ingestion and labelling is one of those components.
At the core of the inFund credit ecosystem is the intention to minimize risk and maximize benefit for all members.
Currently being developed in-house, the platform will reach the beta stage in August 2016. We will be fully launching in September 2016 at which point we will begin to earn revenues.
The unique credit assessment technology has been tried and tested, and proven business ready. Patents are underway.
Meanwhile, partners are lining up for inFund, including a global courier company that wants to use the platform for assessing its business customers’ applications. We already have letters of intent to white label license the platform from partners in New Zealand and Australia.
Once inFund launches in beta, service providers and supplier business users – a property P2P platform, a recruitment consultancy, and a card-processing business – have agreed to test the platform.
Additionally, our founders are working on building dynamic relationships with big name UK partners. Projects in conversation include implementing inFund as a native plugin on other online platforms, offering inFund as a complimentary product for other business-to-business service providers, and establishing a partnership with a business membership association that would introduce thousands of businesses to the benefits of inFund.
Co-founder and CEO of inFund, Alessio Marinelli, knows how to get a project off the ground – he’s a rocket scientist on the side, after all! When he hasn’t been busy amusing himself in pursuit of an Applied PhD, he’s exercised his astute technological thinking in the Fintech sector, helping businesses launch and grow.
Alessio built his trade in and amongst the Big Four consultancy firms, first as a management consultant and ultimately as Head of Data Analytics at KPMG in Hong Kong and China. Most recently, he served as the CTO of a Hong Kong-based FinTech company with additional operations in Singapore, the Philippines and the UK, where he was instrumental in the design and implementation of the technology as well as the launch of the London-based business.
Over the course of the last 20 years, Alessio kept bumping into fellow cappuccino aficionado and now Co-founder and COO, Max Mortimer. Max also has extensive experience supporting business growth and advising on strategy. He spent 17+ years at the top of business, first as COO and then as Managing Director for a nationwide, private education company delivering training for the UK government. He went from creating just one small training venue to creating venues in 14 UK towns and cities, with 3,000+ new candidates each year and a t/o of £12m. Prior to inFund, Max was Managing Director of a business-to-business direct lender in the UK market, where he oversaw the business launch and go-to-market strategy – from cradle to birth.
Though busy with different careers, Alessio and Max had vowed they would one day start a business together. The decision to build inFund ignited from recognizing a need for greater support to MSMEs through the provision of clear and relevant business information that would provide opportunity to grow.
inFund is a company on a mission to open the credit floodgates in the MSME sector.
If you’re an MSME, you’ll have the access to the lines of credit and business loans that you deserve.
If you’re an investor who’s looking for big rewards, while supporting the best small businesses, inFund will connect you with the right peer-to-peer investment opportunities.
If you’re a supplier/distributor, the next Walmart or Costco, you’ll be able to grow your community of business customers by using inFund to approve more credit applications.
To learn more about where InFund is going and how you can be a part of it, request access to the Business Plan tab of this profile, and let’s talk!