Press
Our mission at SoLo is to make a positive impact on the underbanked by providing financial resources to groups of responsible, yet largely ignored, people. You can read more about the work that we’ve done so far here.
For all enquiries: press@solofunds.com
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March 20, 2023
P2P Lending vs. Traditional Lending
What Is Peer-to-Peer Lending? Peer-to-peer lending is a way for people who need a loan to borrow money directly from investors, rather than from banks and other lenders. Peer-to-peer lending was first made popular in the mid-2000s. The idea was to connect investors who wanted to earn interest on loans with borrowers looking for a loan. You can apply for P2P loans through online P2P lending platforms that handle all the logistics—verifying the identity of the borrower, setting the credit requirements, transferring the money and collecting repayments. The platform might also keep both parties' identities anonymous, only sharing information about the borrower's loan request and credit. Some companies are sticking with a more direct borrower-to-lender relationship. For example, Solo Funds, one of the largest Black-owned personal finance platforms, has a marketplace for emergency loans. It offers a more personal experience than other P2P platforms because lenders see the borrower's first name and last initial, the reason they want the money, their history on the platform, a score and the tip they're offering lenders. Read More February 21, 2023
45 Leading Inclusive Fintech Startups Who are Making a Difference in 2023
Here are the top 45 Inclusive Fintech Startups and Companies You Should Know in 2023. SoLo is a financial service provider enabling a marketplace where members can request and fund emergency needs. SoLo launched in 2018 with the goal of providing a lending alternative that was equitable, empowering, and community-driven.Founder(s): Jarrel Carter, Rodney Williams, Taylor Bruno, Travis HolowayFounding year: 2018Headquarters: Los Angeles, California, United StatesFunding: Series A Read More February 17, 2023
Investing In The Underbanked: An Opportunity At The Intersection Of Fintech And Proptech
According to a 2019 report by the Federal Reserve, approximately 63M US adults are either unbanked or underbanked. This represents 22% of the US population. Beyond US borders, the World Bank reports 1.7 billion individuals without bank accounts. In the US, these individuals tend to be disproportionately poor, young, and persons of color. Lack of financial inclusion forces these consumers to rely on alternative finance products to meet their everyday financial needs (e.g. Money Orders, Check Cashing, Payday Loans, Auto Title Loans, Pawn Shops, etc…). This reliance creates perverse incentives for these individuals to frequent often predatory alternative financial services with APRs reaching as high as 600%. Underbanked consumers in the US spend approximately $3,000 annually in fees and interest on alternative financial services totaling $189B annually. Read More February 17, 2023
70 Fintechs Founded By African Americans
SoLo Funds Provides a community finance platform where members request and fund emergency needs Founders: Jarrel Carter, Rodney Williams, Taylor Bruno, Travis Holoway Read More February 6, 2023
Celebrate Black History Month with these Black-owned apps and platforms
SoLo Funds: Lend & Borrow has been designed to help you access funding or supply funding to make a social impact and return. It enables financial services for real people that are backed by people. As it explains, at Solo, "each member can tap the strength of the community to power their own journey toward financial autonomy." Read More December 8, 2022
P2P’s global evaluation
Peer-to-peer lending started in the UK but has since expanded and evolved internationally. Hannah Ganage-Stewart explores how P2P is maturing across the world Read More December 7, 2022
How FinTech Changes Lives | FinTech Focus TV with Rodney Williams, Co-Founder SoLo Funds & LISNR
On this episode of FinTech Focus TV, Toby is delighted to welcome Rodney Williams, Co-Founder SoLo Funds & LISNR to the show. Read More November 18, 2022
Fintech leaders on the trends and companies to know now
Welcome to a special edition of Human Capital, where we are tapping the minds of fintech leaders for their thoughts on industry trends, companies to watch, and — in part two of this series next week — the skills fintech professionals need to master. Read More
November 15, 2022
BAI Announces 2022 Global Innovation Award Finalists
BAI announced the finalists for the 12th Annual BAI Global Innovation Awards, the financial services industry’s leading innovation honor, celebrating organizational achievements. Read More
November 2, 2022
SoLo Funds Borrow Review 2022
Note: This review focuses on SoLo Funds’ borrowing services. If you are a prospective lender, use our SoLo Funds Lend review to determine if it’s the right lending platform for you. Read More
October 31, 2022
10 Tech Startups With Huge Potential In 2022
Every year, there are some promising tech companies that have the potential of "making a dent" in their respective landscapes. Read More
September 1, 2022
There’s Social Media. How About Social Loans?
SoLo Funds (short for Social Loans) offers innovative alternatives to the strict business-as-usual, faceless financial transactions from traditional institutions – and it’s fueled by a new social element. Read More
August 26, 2022
What The Future Of Personal Loans Looks Like — With SoLo Funds, No Banks Are Needed
SoLo Funds, a fintech startup based out of Los Angeles, encompasses DeFi in a way other companies don’t: by bringing truly decentralized finance to customers in a practical manner. Read More
August 24, 2022
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Travis Holoway of SoLo Funds Is Helping To Change Our World
No one knows more about what you want to do than you — Be confident. Don’t be an egomaniac, but be confident in yourself and your vision, because only you understand it at its deepest level. There are a lot of household names today who were originally told their work couldn’t be accomplished, but they believed in their vision and made it happen. Read More August 24, 2022
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Rodney Williams of SoLo Funds Is Helping To Change Our World
Improve infrastructure in financial desert communities to provide individuals with access to quality financial care. Whether that is improving public transit so those without a car can easily get to a bank miles away from home or building a bank in a community that doesn’t have one, taking a good look at the communities with no adequate financial resources and filling in those gaps is key. Read More August 18, 2022
Meet The Disruptors: Rodney Williams Of SoLo Funds On The Five Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
Rodney Williams is the President and Co-founder of SoLo Funds, the largest community fintech platform for everyday Americans, providing the opportunity to access and grow capital and establish financial independence. Read More
May 3, 2022
18 apps you should know that are changing the world for the better
The apps category of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards honors projects that live primarily in a mobile format, in any discipline. See the finalists and honorable mentions below, and read about the winner, an app that instantly turns your unwanted items into cash. Read More
April 28, 2022
SoLo Funds Bridges Corporate and Nonprofit Efforts to Jointly Impact Communities with new Amplify Fund
SoLo Funds leverages innovative community finance marketplace to launch a new initiative that enables corporations, nonprofits and local governments to increase access to emergency capital in local communities Read More
April 5, 2022
SoLo Funds releases the SoLo Wallet and seeks to empower borrowers
The FinTech company facilitates peer-to-peer loans to help underserved communities, making the process easier with its new wallet. Read More
April 4, 2022
10 fintechs creating an inclusive economy join Accenture lab
Addressing important issues of today from ESG to crypto, these 10 emerging tech startups are chosen for Accenture’s 2022 FinTech Innovation Lab New York Read More
March 29, 2022
10 Tech Companies Selected for 12th Annual FinTech Innovation Lab New York, Run by Accenture and Partnership Fund for New York City
Leading financial services firms to mentor financial technology entrepreneurs whose solutions address key industry themes, including sustainability and cryptocurrencies. Read More
February 21, 2022
Meet The AFROTECH™ Future 50
AFROTECH is honoring individuals across the tech industry — including the disrupters, innovators, wealth-makers, and overall game-changers in the industry in honor of Black History Month. Read More February 10, 2022
The Road to the FinTech Innovation Lab 2022: Our Global Search for the Best in Tech
Before each new class of the FinTech Innovation Lab, we survey the technology priorities of senior financial services executives from over 40 leading firms. Based on their 2022 technology “wish list,” we put out a global search for next-generation solutions around blockchain, cyber-tech and resiliency, the future of work, financial inclusion, sustainability, and more. Read More
February 10, 2022
SoLo Funds Makes Lending More Equitable
Rodney Williams and Travis Holoway are on a mission to make lending more equitable. After the LIFToff Financial Impact Challenge, SoLo Funds received an investment from Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs to further their mission of bringing more equity and opportunity to short-term lending. Read More February 9, 2022
Back to Blog A Baker’s Dozen of African American Influencers in Fintech and Financial Services
As part of Finovate’s continued commemoration of Black History Month, we’re showcasing some of the African American fintech and financial services influencers and leaders who are driving innovation and inclusion in our industry. Read More February 8, 2022
Democratizing Access to Capital in Times of Need
To kick off The Higher Purpose Venture Capital Blog in earnest, I am excited to present SoLo Funds, a company that embodies solving a major problem that is driven by wealth inequality: access to capital in times of urgent need. Read More February 1, 2022
Bridging the Gap: A Conversation with Rodney Williams of SoLo Funds
Finovate starts its African-American History Month ceremony with a conversation with Rodney Williams, co-founder of SoLo Funds. Along with business co-founder Travis Holoway, Williams was called to Cause Artist’s “40 Social Entrepreneurs to Watch for in 2022.” Read More January 11, 2022
40 Social Entrepreneurs to Watch for in 2022
This marks the 9th edition of the Causeartist – Social Entrepreneurs to Watch for List. Read More January 3, 2022
Seven Tech Startups To Watch Out For In 2022
From cheaper 3D printing to optimizing delivery routes, here are seven tech companies who could spark revolution in 2022. Read More December 3, 2021
Equitable and Community-Focused: Meet the Future of Fintech
B Corp SoLo Funds Aims to Build a Financial Ecosystem for Underserved Communities Read More December 2, 2021
SoLo Funds Becomes The Only Black-Owned Fintech Startup To Acquire B Corp Certification
SoLo Funds is a capital marketplace reimaging how traditional lending platforms should operate in communities. Read More November 29, 2021
How SoLo Funds Is Bringing Equity To Financial Services
Cofounder Rodney Williams has created an easy and effective way for everyone to safely borrow the money they need on their own terms. Read More November 29, 2021
How SoLo Funds Is Bringing Equity to Financial Services
In 2015, Rodney Williams, a serial entrepreneur and founder of LISNR, wanted to find ways to bring equity to financial services. Read More November 28, 2021
101 Best United States FinTech Startups – The Future of FinTech
This article showcases our top picks for the best United States based FinTech companies. Read More November 20, 2021
SoLo Funds Launches SoLo Causes to Further Commitment to Local Communities
SoLo Funds (“SoLo”), an innovative capital marketplace for emergency loans today announced the launch of SoLo Causes, its corporate philanthropic initiative. Read More November 19, 2021
SoLo Funds Launches SoLo Causes to Further Commitment to Local Communities
Habitat for Humanity International and United Way are the first SoLo Causes partners Read More November 16, 2021
Habitat for Humanity and United Way Partner with SoLo Funds’ New Initiative SoLo Causes: ‘Make an Impact’
“I think we can be a model that companies can do well and do good at the same time and that people should be prioritized over profits,” SoLo Funds co-founder Rodney Williams tells PEOPLE Read More October 27, 2021
Financial institutions that leverage underserved communities should provide value to those communities
It’s on financial institutions to build dignity and value for all of their members, not just the wealthiest. Read More October 18, 2021
Endeavor Supports SoLo Funds’ Global Market Research
For SoLo Funds Co-Founders and Endeavor Entrepreneurs Rodney Williams and Travis Holoway, providing international access to small dollar loans has always been part of the long term plan. Read More August 13, 2021
People over profits: one company’s new take on lending
SoLo Funds helps underserved consumers while providing better options for both borrowers and lenders Read More July 12, 2021
Calling all fintechs driving financial inclusion around the world
Early-stage startups focused on delivering better access to low-income customers and micro and small enterprises can now apply to Visa’s Inclusive Fintech 50 program. Read More
June 29, 2021
How one company combats predatory loans and the never ending cycle of debt for Black Women
SoLo Funds, an online community co-founded by two BIPOC financial services leaders, exists where members can request and fund short-term needs in a non-predatory and accessible way. Read More June 9, 2021
Poll: 4 in 10 U.S. adults willing to go into debt for indulgences
And as the pandemic begins to wind down, more than half plan to spend in at least one nonessential category Read More June 7, 2021
Dave Inc. to Merge With SPAC in $4 Billion Deal
Mid-Wilshire-based banking app developer Dave Inc. said on June 7 that it plans to go public through a merger with a Chicago-based special purpose acquisition company that gives the fintech a $4 billion valuation. Read More May 13, 2021
Beyond Payday Loans: More Startups And VCs Bank On Subprime Lending Alternatives
Los Angeles-based SoLo Funds raised $10 million in Series A funding, led by ACME Capital. The company is building a new type of peer-to-peer lending group in which strangers fund strangers asking for short-term personal loans for immediate needs. Read More May 4, 2021
World Changing Ideas Awards 2021: On The Rise (0-4 Years In Business) Finalists and Honorable Mentions
Companies that have achieved incredible impact and have been in business under 4 years. Read More May 4, 2021
World Changing Ideas Awards 2021: Apps Finalists and Honorable Mentions
Projects that live primarily in a mobile format, in any discipline. Read More April 23, 2021
Meet the 5 startups selected for the first Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator cohort
Five companies—including Milwaukee-based Tip a ScRxipt—have been chosen to participate in the inaugural cohort of the new accelerator program, which is run by gener8tor. Read More April 14, 2021
Platform Capital invests into SoLo Funds, an innovative peer-to-peer financing platform in USA
Platform Capital (“Platform”), a leading growth markets investor, is pleased to announce its investment in and partnership with SoLo Funds Inc. (“SoLo”), an innovative and proprietary peer-to-peer financing platform based in the USA that has revolutionized the access to and supply of short-term funds for individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses. Read More February 16, 2021
SoLo Funds Banks $10M Series A For Peer-to-Peer Lending
SoLo Funds is building an alternative to predatory lending through a new type of peer-to-peer lending in which strangers fund strangers asking for short-term personal loans for immediate needs. “Even before the pandemic, 70 percent of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, and many didn’t have $400 in their savings account,” Travis Holoway, co-founder and CEO of SoLo Funds told Crunchbase News. “More than half of the country has been waiting on $600 for more than six months.” Read More February 10, 2021
LA-based SoLo Funds raises $10 million to offer an alternative to predatory payday lenders
“For too long, there have been limited options for individuals in need of immediate funds due to unforeseen circumstances, like a shift in hourly schedules, unplanned car troubles or other cases,” said SoLo, co-founder and CEO Travis Holoway. “SoLo was created to offer safe, affordable options for borrowers that need cash quickly, while also creating a marketplace for lenders to grow capital and help community members in need. We believe that at the end of the day, people are innately honest and tend towards generosity, and our platform’s growth is further proof that people want to do good in the world and make an impact.” Read More February 10, 2021
Fortune Term Sheet – The rise of friendship apps
“Coronavirus is accelerating existing digital trends” may be a phrase that has become overused at this point—but it still holds water. Today, small-dollar lending platform, SoLo Funds, announced that it raised $10-million to bolster its digital lending business. Read More February 10, 2021
LA Peer-to-Peer Lending App SoLo Funds Raises $10M
SoLo Fund's target market has always been Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck. The peer-to-peer lending app sees itself as an alternative to high-interest payday lenders. "We were doing this before we realized how big this would be, and it was magnified by the global pandemic," said SoLo co-founder and CEO Travis Holoway. "It was an opportunity for many businesses." Read More February 10, 2021
Short-Term Lending Shows Promise As Lifeline For Paycheck-to-Paycheck Consumer
As PYMNTS research has found, roughly 60 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. And statistics from the Federal Reserve show that even before the coronavirus devasted household finances, that on average, 40 percent of Americans have less than $400 on hand to cover emergencies. For these consumers, short-term lending may be a lifeline. As Travis Holoway, co-founder and CEO of SoLo Funds, told PYMNTS, Americans grappling with cash shortages and in need of funds to cover life’s basic necessities could benefit from a mobile peer-to-peer marketplace can help build long-term creditworthiness. Read More January 20, 2021
81 startups that will boom in 2021, according to the startup experts: venture capitalists
Investors at the best venture capital firms name the startups poised for a big 2021 inside and outside of their portfolios and across industries. 2021 is fast approaching, and the startup market is red-hot as VCs fight harder than ever before to get into deals. Read More January 7, 2021
Built In Honors SoLo Funds in Its Esteemed 2021 Best Places To Work Awards
Built In today announced that SoLo Funds was honored in its 2021 Best Places To Work Awards. Specifically, SoLo Funds earned a place on the Best Places to Work, Best Paying Companies, and Best Small Companies to Work For on Built In’s 2021 Los Angeles Lists. The annual awards include companies of all sizes, from startups to the enterprise, nationally and in the eight largest tech markets and nationally. Read More November 23, 2020
Established® Announces SoLo Funds Wins Startup of the Year at the 8th Annual Startup of the Year Summit
After a year-long, worldwide search for diverse early-stage startups, Established (the company behind Startup of the Year Summit) announced that SoLo Funds was named the Startup of the Year Champion at the first online Startup of the Year Summit on November 18. The Los Angeles, CA startup was represented by co-founder Travis Holoway. SoLo Funds is a mobile lending exchange that allows people seeking small-dollar loans to borrow from other individuals with financial means. Read More November 18, 2020
Visa Expands Fast Track Program to Enable Next Generation of Fintechs to Rebuild the Global Economy
Fintech leaders around the world are increasingly choosing to work with Visa across key categories including digital wallets, digital banking, ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’, B2B payments, cross-border remittance, bill payments, payments infrastructure, and person-to-person payments. Recent examples of fintechs partnering with Visa include Affirm, BillGO, Finix, Gojek, PayPal, Rappi, Stripe, Varo Bank, and Venmo, among many others, such as SoLo Funds. With the expansion of Visa’s industry-leading Fast Track program, fintechs are armed with the tools to become category winners. Fast Track participation has grown 360% year-over-year, and Visa has welcomed hundreds of fintechs who are actively engaged in the program. Read More November 18, 2020
New Daylight And Visa Partnership Fuses Tech And Inclusion For LGBT+ Banking
The modern world of finance and banking has complicated queer lives, with outdated banking IT systems that consistently deadname those who identify as trans or nonbinary. Same-sex couples face a 73% higher chance of being denied when they apply for a mortgage. Ask anyone who’s had to navigate the banking system while queer and you’ll likely hear a common refrain: “Banking and financial technology weren’t built for us.” Find out more about how SoLo is helping secure financing for traditionally marginalized groups. Read More
June 16, 2020
SoLo & Kiva – Partnering to Strengthen the Capital Ladder for Financially Excluded Americans.
For the lowest-income individuals, it’s disproportionately expensive to borrow money. With predatory interest rates and unattainable criteria, getting a loan in America is a defeating — if not dangerous — process for many. SoLo Funds and Kiva are partnering to strengthen the capital ladder for financially excluded Americans. Tackling the same problem through two different solutions, SoLo Funds and Kiva offer affordable loan products - one of personal lending, one of business lending. Through their respective communities of lenders, both SoLo Funds and Kiva have supported thousands of Americans — and now are forming a partnership. The aim is to build out the safe and reliable financing options available for low-income and financially excluded individuals and entrepreneurs. Read More April 23, 2020
SoLo Inc. and Microloans During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Solo Funds Inc. and people on the technology-oriented financial platform is one positive outcome of this coronavirus. People have stepped up to lend to each other in times of need. SoLo Funds Inc. started with a simple mission, help those who need microloans in the United States and provide them with lower interest rate loans. The mission of SoLo Funds Inc. is to step up and help those who find themselves living paycheck to paycheck and assist them through trying times. It is a platform that makes a lot of sense during the coronavirus pandemic that is affecting people across the world. Read More
April 16, 2020
Online lending platform SoLo Funds opens spigot on interest-free peer-to-peer microloans for cash-strapped Americans
“We now are facing the greatest financial emergency the nation has ever faced in recent history,” says SoLo Funds co-founder and CEO Travis Holoway. “Thirty-four percent of Americans have zero dollars in savings. A few weeks ago people began to realize they may have only one or two paychecks left. Many have been furloughed and cannot go back to work.” Recognizing the urgent need facing families across America, Williams and his partner are relaunching their two-year-old online lending platform with a new model for peer-to-peer lending. It will provide microloans of between $50 and $1,000, with terms set by the borrower. There is no interest charged for the loans on the platform. Borrowers set their own terms, select the repayment date, how much they need, the reason they need it and what they would like to tip the individual lender. Tips are capped at 10%. “We didn’t build the platform knowing the coronavirus pandemic would happen, but now that this has happened, this is an option for an alternative form of financing,” Williams notes. “SoLo Funds is poised to enable $10 million in loans during this critical time.” Read More September 26, 2019
House Financial Services Committee Hearing on the Future of Real-Time Payments
House Financial Services Committee Task Force on Financial Technology. “The Future of Real-Time Payments” Read More July 19, 2019
Closing the gap: How to overcome obstacles as a female entrepreneur
Co-founder and CDO Taylor Bruno of SoLo Funds, says, “As a female co-founder in the predominantly male-led tech industry, I’ve worked for the last 10 years in close proximity to the challenges facing female entrepreneurs.” She says her approach has everything to do with relationships. Read More April 23, 2019
SoLo Funds reaches $2 million worth of loan transactions in 11 months
SoLo Funds Inc CEO Travis Holoway tells Proactive Investors the California-based peer-to-peer lending platform company has processed $2 million worth of loans since it was launched almost one year ago, providing users with loans less than $1,000. Read More April 4, 2019
Where customers are also lenders: One fintech’s payday alternative
SoLo Funds specializes in small-dollar loans with a $1,000 cap, allowing consumers to act both as lender and borrower. It's a market generally viewed as underserved given that banks generally avoid small-dollar loans because of compliance concerns. Travis Holoway, SoLo’s co-founder and CEO, started the company last year after he saw the relatively high fees and interest rates charged by many payday lenders. Read More March 12, 2019
Interview: Travis Holoway, CEO & Co-Founder of SoLo Funds
"Get comfortable with being uncomfortable because it’s critically important for both personal and professional growth.” Travis Holoway is the co-founder and CEO of SoLo Funds, a mobile lending exchange that connects lenders and borrowers for the purpose of providing more affordable access to loans under $1,000. SoLo was created to disintermediate the predatory payday lending system. Today, SoLo is one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in the country." Read More August 21, 2018
An App For Borrowers Living Paycheck To Paycheck
How does SoLo work? Potential borrowers are vetted with a scoring process that includes information like cash flow history, as well as social data, such as how many friends someone has on Facebook. Borrowers and lenders also provide access to their bank accounts, to make money transfers easier and automatic. Read More August 2, 2018
How Digital Disbursements Tools Are Changing Low-Dollar Lending
“Technology like Venmo and Cash App have made it really easy for people to ask for money because it’s no longer a convoluted process,” Holoway said. “I just assumed there had to be someone using the same technology for lending, but when I looked for that solution, I couldn’t find it. What we’re trying to do is bring that technology to lending.” Read More April 5, 2018
SoLo Funds gets $1.2M to expand its affordable loaning platform
In addition, most of the times these financial instruments are not focused on small amounts, which is not useful for people going through a short financial struggle. In order to solve all these issues, we have SoLo Funds, a lending exchange that allows people to obtain loans of small amounts (under $1,000). The idea for SoLo came from the fact that its founders were often faced with loan requests of small amounts from their family and friends. Realizing that there are currently a lot of ways to easily send money to any two people, they tried to find a solution that made these loans possible but was not successful. Read MoreLoad More
Community
A bright idea that turned into a community. Here’s the SoLo community story. Read More
Partner
See how SoLo uses partnerships to make a bigger difference. Read More
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With SoLo, you’re always an individual, but you never go it alone.
With SoLo, you’re always an individual, but you never go it alone.