“You might conclude that venture capital is not meant for 99 percent of businesses. It is most suitable for a specific type of business that has the ability to accelerate growth in a very short period of time, resulting in an exit (either by IPO or acquisition) in order to provide investment returns back to…
“You hear a lot about food deserts,” said Villarreal. “Not only are there food deserts, but there are financial deserts, meaning there isn’t a bank or financial institution in those communities. And if there is a ‘financial institution,’ it’s a payday lender. It’s not a responsible lender.” PYMNTS.com April 1, 2021 Rethinking The Flow Of…
Orlando Sentinel March 26, 2021 Small Southern businesses need our help to rebuild after pandemic | Commentary By INEZ LONG, JANIE BARRERA, DR. KARAMA NEAL AND GRACE FRICKS GUEST COLUMNIST | One in 10 Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — a shining light at the end of a very dark year. We can finally…
Impact Alpha March 29, 2021 Georgia is throttling voters. The South’s financial system is doing the same to its entrepreneurs. By Beth Bafford is Vice President, Syndications and Strategy at Calvert Impact Capital. …Today, my day job is focused on shifting the behavior of the capital markets to be more inclusive and equitable. We…
Lexington County Chronicle March 23, 2021 New problems for small businesses 68% fewer banks means fewer small business loans By Frank Knapp, Jr., Special to the Chronicle The number of commercial banks has fallen 68% since 1980. Only 4,600 banks exist today. Many smaller-sized banks have disappeared via mergers or failures, according to a report released…
Listen to WVOC’s Gary David discuss the Reform the SBA campaign with Frank Knapp of the SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce. Listen here. https://reformthesba.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Frank-Knapp-WVOC-031821.mp3
There’s a reason the Fed’s Main Street Lending Program came up well short. Wall Street Journal March 14, 2021 Andy Kessler Selling the Covid relief package on Jan. 22, Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted, “@POTUS and I are taking immediate action to help small businesses—because they power our economy, and they need relief.” It got…
Cheddar March 12, 2021 By Michelle Castillo Women founders disproportionately have received only a minute portion of investor funds, but before the pandemic trends had been going in the right direction. In 2019, the proportion of dollars that went to female-only founders reached an all-time high at 2.8 percent, yet COVID-19 seems to have halted…
“Small businesses are blocked from competing for government contracts with increasing frequency”—Margot Dorfman, CEO of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce is calling on President Biden to use an Executive Order to correct past federal procurement practices that have resulted in “tens of thousands of contracts eliminated by category…
Financial Times March 7, 2021 By Taylor Nicole Rogers When Dawn Kelly began planning to open her juice bar in 2017, she never considered applying for a small business loan. “I had already heard in the streets that banks don’t loan money to small business owners,” says Kelly, who is black, “and they especially don’t…