Freedom to have the ability to make decisions about your life, or your business, and not be beholden or limited by financial or information constraints.
Businesses like Nav, a SME focused financial management app that provides free access to credit reports, taps into this desire, handing back control on what is typically an opaque data point for a business, and which is often a limiting factor when it comes to accessing financing.
This week Nav secured $44.8 million in fresh funding from Goldman Sachs, Experian Ventures, Point72 Ventures, Aries, and CreditEase Fintech Investment Fund.
Since 2012, when the business was launched, the driving force of Nav has been a simple one – materially decrease the small business death rate. Mismanagement of cash flow is often the driver for this – studies point to over 80% of businesses citing poor cash flow management skills and a lack of understanding of cash flow as a failure reason. When the cash flow crunch hits – which it often does for many a small business – the only way out can be quick and timely financing. However quick and timely financing often comes down to how healthy that credit score is. It’s like ensuring your health insurance is up to date, just in case that ski accident leaves you in a plaster cast. Like insurance, your credit score is sort of like the one thing you have to have, that you hope you never need.
To date Nav claims it has helped over 400,000 businesses make better financial decisions and access capital. The company acts as a referral network for lending partners, and leverages affiliate and referral partners itself, to grow its base of SMEs.
Enabling financial freedom by making information available to the end user that changes the power dynamic, is a driving theme throughout all good fintech. If this was the only thesis you used as an investor, I’m of the firm belief you’ll be on the right side of returns, and history.
Nav is one example of this in action, and it’s clear these venture funds believe that thesis.
Daily Fintech Advisers provides strategic consulting to organizations with business and investment interests in Fintech. Jessica Ellerm is a thought leader specializing in Small Business and the Gig Economy and is the CEO and Co-Founder of Zuper, a new superannuation startup in Australia.