Toronto – April 6th, 2022; Uplinq Financial technologies (Uplinq) has raised USD $3.5 million in a pre-seed funding round led by noted venture capital investors, N49P and Surface Ventures, alongside a veritable ‘who’s who’ list of leading individual Fintech investors. The business will use the investment to further its commitment to help banks and lenders deliver financial inclusion for their small business customers across the globe.
Alongside N49P and Surface Ventures, Uplinq’s pre-seed funding round also includes participation from MoVi Partners, Impulsum Ventures, Magic Fund, Assure Syndicates, and the DVC Syndicate. Additionally, several notable Fintech executives participated in the raise, including: the former President of Experian Consumer Services, co-founder at SoFi, former CIO and Treasurer at JPMorgan Chase, former Head of Risk at Scotiabank, and the former CTO at FIS.
Uplinq’s value proposition is built on the back of its ground-breaking technology, which enables small-to-medium sized business (SMB) lenders to use billions of unique and validated data signals that go beyond traditional credit indicators, to help make the most accurate decisions possible. The company’s innovative technology has powered over USD $1.4 Trillion in underwritten loans since its inception.
Uplinq launched its operations at the beginning of 2022, following a long planning cycle. The company’s founder and CEO, Ron Benegbi, is a serial entrepreneur now working on his fifth startup. Previously, Ron served as co-founder and President of Railz.ai.
Similarly, Uplinq’s co-founder, Patrick Reily, is a 30-year financial services veteran who has held senior positions with some of the world’s largest financial institutions. Additionally, Patrick previously led the development of North American products at Equifax, as well as managing his own business, Verde International for over 15 years.
Speaking about his business journey, Ron Benegbi commented: “As an immigrant to Canada in the 1970’s, I watched my parents struggle to make a living as small business owners. We were very fortunate that one bank manager took a ‘flyer’ on my dad when he applied for a loan, even though he made it clear that the application did not meet the bank’s lending criteria. Most small business owners are not nearly as fortunate as this, which is why I started Uplinq.”
Ron continued: “Now, it’s great to have so many amazing people who want to be part of our journey. Through this raise, we have connected with people like ourselves who truly care about others and who want to lead with empathy, humanity, and purpose. Together, we all share a collective vision of making an impact on the lives of millions of families worldwide.”
Patrick Reily, co-founder at Uplinq commented: “SMBs create jobs and are at the bedrock of intellectual property creation around the world. These companies drive the global economy, yet as borrowers they remain perhaps the most underserved segment on the planet. At Uplinq, we can change that. That’s why I am humbled and honoured to now partner with so many brilliant and purposeful people who share our vision.”
The pre-seed funding round will be deployed immediately to help scale Uplinq’s operations across the globe. Additionally, Uplinq will use the funding to further refine its solution. This update will allow the company to provide even more precise and predictive insights within the credit-decisioning process, empowering lenders to understand the financial performance of small businesses like never before.
Speaking on the funding round, Alex Norman, Managing Partner at N49P commented: “we are excited to back Uplinq, and Ron once again. Ron has an ability to see the future of finance and deliver against it. We believe Uplinq has the potential to transform lending practices towards SMBs across the globe.”
Dimitri Boguslavsky, Co-Managing Partner at Surface Ventures, commented: “Ron came to us with a bold vision on how he wanted to transform the global SMB credit lending process. We were immediately impressed with his innovative approach to problem solving and his willingness to tackle some of the fundamental issues within the market. Few businesses have the potential to change the world like Uplinq, and with Ron and Pat steering the ship, Uplinq is well positioned to revolutionize the world of SMB lending.”
