Lagos and Los Angeles, 14 April 2021: Platform Capital (“Platform”), a leading growth markets investor, is pleased to announce its investment in and partnership with SoLo Funds Inc. (“SoLo”), an innovative and proprietary peer-to-peer financing platform based in the USA that has revolutionized the access to and supply of short-term funds for individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses.
Twenty-five percent of Americans are unbanked or underbanked, whilst 80% of American workers live paycheck to paycheck and don’t have adequate savings to cover unforeseen expenses. In addition, implicit and explicit biases mean that women and people of color are three times more likely to see their credit applications rejected. As a result, they are left with no other options and fall prey to payday lenders, where a small loan can accrue over 400% APR, trapping them in a cycle of debt.
SoLo replaces payday lenders with a community-based, market-driven model for access to short-term funds for individuals. Through its community, individuals are able to access funds ranging from $50 to $1,000 for up to 2 weeks, which are delivered within hours through a simple and non-approval sign-up process powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. The platform connects users directly and determines a SoLo score based on ability to repay, spending habits, payment frequency, behavioral data, and location-based data. There are no fees or compounding interest paid to SoLo or the member of the community providing the funds, avoiding the debt trap that is common in traditional short-term lending.
Since its launch in 2018, the SoLo community has grown to over 300,000 users. The company has seen significant adoption of its model in states with large populations and high cost of living. Over the past 12 months, SoLo’s community has experienced more than 2,000% growth, introduced a new product feature “lender protection service” that safeguards the financed amount in case of a default, and has partnered with Kiva to enable access to funds for entrepreneurs and business owners ranging from $1,000 to $15,000.
SoLo Fund’s mission is to replace payday lenders with a community-based, market-driven model for individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses to access financing. The company has raised $10 million lead by international investors including ACME Capital, Impact America Fund, Techstars, Endeavor Catalyst, and CEAS Investments to further develop its technology, scale its team, and expand across the USA.
Dr. Akintoye Akindele, Chairman of Platform Capital, joins the Board as an observer & adviser.
Rodney Williams, Co-Founder of SoLo Funds Inc., said “We’re excited about our partnership with Platform Capital, we look forward to expanding our services into Africa. This partnership enables us to achieve our vision of being the number one access to funds provider for people and businesses in need. We believe that our platform will certainly impact and change the conversation in Africa around how businesses and individuals can access funds.”
Dr. Akintoye Akindele, Chairman of Platform Capital, said: “We are proud to partner with SoLo Funds. Access to funds is a problem that affects millions of people globally. We believe that SoLo’s alternative approach to accessing funds will impact millions of lives and position them as an innovative disruptor in the funding space. We look forward to working with SoLo Funds to scale their innovative solutions to positively impact people’s lives.”
About SoLo Funds Inc.
SoLo Funds is an online community where members can request and fund short-term needs. SoLo launched in 2018 with the goal of providing an alternative to short-term loans that were non-predatory, simple, and community-driven. Since then, they have processed over 100,000+ loans and redefined lending for 300,000+ users. Today, they are driven to new heights, but grounded in the same hope and mission: to build a community that enables financial autonomy for all.
About Platform Capital
Platform Capital is a growth markets focused, sector agnostic, principal investment and advisory firm. We deploy patient, value accretive capital alongside international and local value investors to create champion businesses with the potential for regional or global scale. Platform also provides end-to-end bespoke Corporate Finance & Capital Markets advisory services. What makes us different is our obsession with changing the African narrative.
