Nothing has quite illustrated the importance of cash flow like the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether an increased demand has seen your business thrive or you need access to guaranteed funding, almost all businesses have had to keep a closer eye on their balance sheet.
Business Leader teamed up with Swoop Funding to look at the future of funding and give business leaders an insight into how fundraising is changing and what options are available to them.
We assembled an expert panel to take part in this event:
- Andrea Reynolds – Founder and CEO at Swoop
- Ben Barbanel – Head of Debt Finance at OakNorth Bank
- Veronika Lovett – Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Esme Loans
- Roxana Mohammadian-Molina, Chief Strategy Officer at Blend Network
- Maggie Rodriguez-Piza – CEO at Funding London
Here’s a breakdown of what we discussed during the debate:
- Andrea Reynolds: How have you found the last 6 months in the funding sector? (1:51)
- Andrea Reynolds: Do you have any tips for business leaders looking to secure funding at this unique time? (3:18)
- Ben Barbanel: Can you give your thoughts on the last six months and any trends you have seen? (5:17)
- Ben Barbanel: Are there any sectors that you specialise in or are you sector agnostic? (8:40)
- Veronika Lovett: What trends are you seeing now from your customers and businesses? (9:30)
- Roxana Mohammadian-Molina: Can you talk more about P2P lending and trends you’re seeing? (12:47)
- Maggie Rodrigues Piza: From your perspective of CEO at Funding London can you give your views on the current funding landscape? (17:38)
- Veronika Lovett: How are you seeing technology impact how businesses access funding? (22:05)
- Andrea Reynolds: With so many funding options available to businesses, how can technology make it easier to get matched with the option that fits best with them? (24:50)
- Ben Barbanel: How is data technology improving the funding landscape? (28:04)
- Ben Barbanel: What are the fundamentals that you look for in a successful funding application? (29:40)
- Maggie Rodrigues Piza: Do you have any advice for early-stage/growth businesses about what funding options they look for? (32:30)
- Roxana Mohammadian-Molina: Do you have any advice for early-stage/growth businesses about what funding options they look for? (34:17)
Questions from the public
• Andrea Reynolds, Maggie Rodrigues Piza and Roxana Mohammadian-Molina: Can the panel give their thoughts on how we can increase diversity in funding decisions – with more male founders still receiving funding than female? (38:27)
• Veronika Lovett, Andrea Reynolds and Ben Barbanel: Do you feel the government has been successful in its funding support – through schemes like CBILS etc? (42:50)
• Final word from Veronika Lovett (48:17)
• Final word from Roxana Mohammadian-Molina (49:28)
• Final word from Ben Barbanel (50:37)
• Final word from Maggie Rodrigues Piza (51:28)
• Final word from Andrea Reynolds (53:10)
Special thanks to Swoop Funding for sponsoring this very special panel debate.
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