Led · Series B · Jan 2018

StreetShares is a Reston, Va.-based mission-driven financial technology company that enables financial institutions to provide loans to small businesses. Led by Mark L. Rockefeller and Mickey Konson, the company launched digital small business lending technology for banks and credit unions in 2019. Since January 2020 its client count nearly doubled to 53 financial institutions, including community banks, Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). In November 2020 StreetShares secured $10M in funding. Backers included Motley Fool Ventures, Ally Ventures and individual fintech angel investors. The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand operations and its business reach. StreetShares is a Washington, DC-based specialty finance company serving the military and veteran market. It provides small business loans and lines of credit and offers alternative investment products such as Veteran Business Bonds, a veterans social-impact investing product. StreetShares also offers invoice factoring and accounts receivable financing for government contractors. The company is led by CEO Mark L. Rockefeller and COO Mickey Konson. In January 2018 it completed a $23m Series B equity funding round. Brian Burke of Cooley LLP acted as counsel to StreetShares on the transaction. StreetShares is an online lender providing access to capital for small and medium-sized enterprises, originally launched as a "veterans funding veterans" platform. The company launched its direct lending business in 2014 and was co-founded by Mark Rockefeller and Mickey Konson. StreetShares recently received SEC approval to use Regulation A+ (Title IV of the JOBS Act) to offer a crowdlending product that allows non‑accredited investors to fund loans. It will initially offer loans to U.S. military members, veterans and their families and intends to scale the social lending model to the broader investment market. The marketplace offers loans from $2,000 to $100,000 with terms of 3 to 36 months; loans are said to be funded in less than a week and borrowers must have reasonable credit and be in business at least one year. The company announced a Series A first tranche of $4.5 million and is still accepting new investors. StreetShares operates a P2P small business lending marketplace that connects primarily veteran-owned small businesses with qualified retail and institutional investors. Investors compete in an online auction to fund portions of requested loans, and StreetShares aggregates the lowest bids into a single loan. The platform focuses on funding veteran-owned small businesses and facilitates retail and institutional participation. The company was launched in 2014 by Mark L. Rockefeller and Mickey Konson. StreetShares recently secured more than $200 million in funding commitments to support lending on its marketplace. Eagle Bank opened a warehouse line to support the platform's loan originations. StreetShares is a Reston, VA-based online lending platform that enables individual investors to bid to lend shares of small business loans to mainstreet businesses. The platform facilitates investor bidding on loan shares and targets small businesses seeking funding under $100k. It has a particular focus on serving the veteran-owned business community. Leadership includes CEO Mark L. Rockefeller, COO Mickey Konson, and CTO Ben Shiflet. The company positions itself as socially oriented and community-focused through participation from community bankers and veteran investors. StreetShares recently closed a $1.2M seed funding round.

Led · Equity · May 2015

Microf provides competitive rent-to-own and lease solutions for residential HVAC systems through a network of preferred distributors and contractors. The company has launched a secure, scalable IT infrastructure and a proprietary decision engine to support growth and deliver online credit decisions within seconds. Microf recently partnered with United Technologies to offer its program across Carrier, Bryant, Payne and ICP distributors and contractors nationwide. The business targets homeowners who need affordable monthly-payment alternatives to purchase new heating and cooling systems. Management says the new capital will accelerate profitable growth and allow Microf to assist more homeowners. Microf was established in 2010. Microf is an Albany, GA-based consumer finance company founded in 2010 by Mitch Masters and Jay Kimbro. It provides a rent-to-own (RTO) product that allows consumers access to monthly payment options for replacement of residential heating and cooling systems. The RTO product is distributed through a strategic network of actively enrolled dealers. The company intends to use new funds to attract additional distributors and dealers as it rolls out the RTO product nationwide. Rotunda Capital Partners made a $12.3m equity investment and became the largest investor; two new board members were added and industry veteran Craig Rosato was sourced to join as chief financial officer.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2015

Rubicon Global offers a cloud-based technology platform that connects businesses, governments and organizations to a network of independent waste haulers to manage waste and recycling streams. The company positions itself as a leader in sustainable, cloud-based waste and recycling solutions and is developing smart city products in the waste and recycling space. Rubicon’s platform aims to help customers reduce expenses, increase recycling and find economic value in their waste while supporting sustainability goals. Management highlights the company’s goal to divert waste from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and was described in the press release as pre-IPO. In May 2018 Rubicon announced a significant expansion capital investment, indicating a phase of growth and scaling. Rubicon Global is an Atlanta-based provider of cloud-based waste and recycling solutions and is a Certified B Corporation. Its cloud-based platform lets companies reduce operating expenses, divert waste from landfills, track key metrics and pursue long-term sustainability goals. The company is led by co-founders Lane B. Moore (Executive Chairman) and Nate Morris (CEO), with Perry Moss as President. Rubicon raised $50m in venture capital financing, which pushed its valuation to $500m. The round was led by Nima Capital, with participation from Goldman Sachs, Wellington Management Company, Henry Kravis, Paul Tudor Jones II, Leonardo DiCaprio and others. The company will use the funds to scale its technology and expand on-demand and mid-market services, and Strategic Chief Advisor and Uber board member David Plouffe is joining its board of advisors. Rubicon Global provides a software platform (called Caesar) that records and tracks relationships among clients, haulers, and disposal and recycling facilities, acting as a marketplace rather than owning trucks or landfills. The company has secured contracts with national chains such as Wegmans and 7-Eleven and has enabled local haulers to bid on national contracts. Rubicon also runs an R&D arm called Rubicon X, which is developing recycling technologies and projects such as dumpster-mounted cameras to track pickups. Management frames the business as a way to divert waste from landfills and to increase competition in an industry dominated by large incumbents. The company recently received a $30 million infusion from outside investors to expand reach and fund Rubicon X research. Rubicon is described in the article as a seven-year-old startup based in Atlanta, Georgia.