Fintech One-on-One: Melissa Widner, CEO of Lighter Capital

Fintech Nexus

There are many options for raising growth capital for established startups. With all the attention paid to venture capital, we sometimes forget that the vast majority of companies are not funded that way. Revenue-based financing has been around for more than a decade and it is a good alternative for certain types of companies.

My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One Podcast is Melissa Widner, the CEO of Lighter Capital, a pioneer in the revenue-based financing space. We learn all about how this space works, what types of companies it works best for and how Lighter Capital has become one of the market leaders.

In this podcast you will learn:

• How she first got involved with Lighter Capital.
• What attracted her to the CEO role.
• What it is like running a fintech company from Australia.
• The different countries where they are set up to lend.
• How revenue-based financing works (that was pioneered by Lighter).
• The types of companies that are in their sweet spot.
• The size and terms of their financing.
• How their underwriting works.
• Why most revenue-based financing lenders are not really doing revenue-based finance.
• The impact of the venture capital downturn on Lighter Capital.
• How the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank impacted demand for capital.
• Their historical loss rate.
• How loan demand has been overall in 2023.
• What it was like renewing their credit facility in the summer.
• Melissa's vision for the future of Lighter Capital.

Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn
Connect with Lighter Capital on LinkedIn

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