As we covered in our December blog post we had a remarkable 2021 thanks to the hard work from all our partners. In 2022, we are looking to build on this success and deploy several features to the platform that will enhance the SBO experience, CDFI throughput, and overall service capabilities for your teams.

Features in Development:

• Technical Assistance Matching: We are adding questions to the form and functionality to the partner portal so CDFIs and other TA providers can offer matching to their technical assistance and business support resources. This will improve our ecosystem’s ability to serve small businesses who aren’t ready for loans yet and streamline impact for recovery funds. We will be able to provide a holistic set of resources for a small business owner- all married into one interface for impact and reporting ease.
• Grants Matching: We are also going to be able to support the ability to match small businesses to grant opportunities provided by local governments, foundations, or other granting entities. The experience will mirror the Loans/TA matching where filters will be in place and a small business owner can select and match to a loan, TA, and any grants for which they may qualify .
• CDFI-specific intake forms: We are piloting a program where any CDFI can also have C2C serve as their own intake form on their individual websites. This will free up time for CDFI intake teams and utilize the filtering/matching of C2C to not only get folks in your door to serve- but to reroute business owners to other CDFIs who might be better positioned to serve them. Kanopy- CRF and Connect2Capital have a strategic partnership with an organization called Kanopy — a platform designed to support small businesses on their journey to success through data integrations, coaching connections, and CDFI/TA support tools. Their goal is to transform small business and community data into actionable intelligence for small business growth and resilience. Over the course of 2022, we anticipate providing new features and insights to Connect2Capital users through this partnership.
• API/Form Continuation: We are rolling out a feature where small business owners can continue  directly into your application forms after they’ve matched with your product on Connect2Capital. We’re calling this Form Continuation, and it’s an extension of the API integration we offer where we can send applicants’ information to your system. This eases the burden of double data entry for SBOs, streamlines the intake process for your teams, and reduces the number of businesses who end up Withdrawn-> Borrower Stopped Responding.
• CDFI-generated leads: We will soon have the ability for CDFIs to put clients/SBOs directly into Connect2Captial.By avoiding entering their own data into the system, we hope to streamline the process for small business owners whom you know will be a fit for your fund or program.

New Partners/Programs Coming!

• New Bank Referrers: We spoke about our Wells Fargo partnerships in December’s update – but we are eagerly anticipating more banks leveraging C2C as a way to facilitate second look programs for their clients. We are actively in conversations with Fifth Third Bank, US Bank, and a number of other interested banks to mirror the Wells Fargo program and will keep you all in the loop as those conversations unfold.
• SSBCI & Federal Programs: Connect2Capital is actively in conversations with nearly a dozen states across the country to build upon our recovery fund model to bring demand, technology, liquidity, and operational support to the CDFI ecosystems in these states. Many of your teams are having these same conversations- so please reach out if you have questions or would like to collaborate in any way. As these become finalized with the states and the Treasury Department, we will work with those who might be interested to discuss tapping into these programs.