Democratizing Capital & SMB Lending.

I had the pleasure of meeting Denada Ramanishtha, GM & Head of Corporate Strategy at Lendio, the largest small business financing marketplace, at Money 2020 in Las Vegas. As a fintech executive, Denada has led teams that drive revenue generation, acquisition of strategic partnerships and corporate development initiatives. She applies a philosophy of a holistic, 360-degree win-win-win model to Lender & partner strategy and portfolio management. She is a key industry player working to reshape the lending tech space and drive sustainable revenue growth.

Prior to her role at Lendio, she acquired and managed strategic partnerships for American Express’s non-card lending division.

Here is the full interview with Denada at Money 2020:

In her own words Denada describes herself as a “Leader, mother, friend, thinker, shaker, doer, writer! Working to make the world a better place with grit, grind and a whole lot of gratitude!”

We spoke to Denada about the pandemic and its effects on lending. There are approximately 31.7 M small business in the United States, 20% each are minority and women owned. The United States government launched the $803 B Paycheck Protection Program in response to the pandemic to provide support in form of loans that potentially could be forgiven . SMBs are the backbone of the US economy and provide employment to 50% of employable population.

The loans were distributed through banks, credit unions, fintechs and non-bank lenders. Reaching minorities and SMB owners was challenging and painful as they had been underserved by large institutions in the past.

Click on the video link above to view interview with Denada at Money 2020.

I was keen on speaking with Denanda as she was in the thick of all the lending, borrowing and distribution activity during the height of the pandemic. Lendio where she worked is after all a marketplace supporting lenders, borrowers and democratizing capital.

At the conference Denada was a speaker on panel called Mission Tech: A Response to a Financial Crisis for the Underserved. Helping the underserved is very near and dear to Denada, I could clearly see that when I spoke to her. Another topic that is of interest to her is support for women entrepreneurs. For that she offers her time and expertise generously. She spoke and mentored at the RiseUP women’s program at the conference, supporting other women in the industry.

Thank you Denada for spending your precious time with us. Please click on the video link above to view the interview.