Free Workshop: Alternative Funding for Your Small Business 

Discover realistic non-bank alternatives to fund your business

Sometimes bank loans can be discouraging for small businesses. Getting traditional funding can be difficult, and can involve high interest rates. For start-ups or those already in business, this workshop will help you understand the alternatives to traditional bank loans for funding a new business or growing your existing enterprise. 

Five alternative lenders will describe the loans and funding options offered by their particular organizations. The workshop will explore options such as equity/crowdfunding, micro lending, non-profit small business lenders, and more. In the second portion of the session, an experienced SCORENYC mentor and funding expert will give an overview of small business funding, including how to compare between different types of alternative loans and what lenders look for when funding a small business.

At the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

• Summarize the pros and cons of the main types of alternative small business loans 
• Calculate how much money is needed to reach breakeven or achieve your financial goals
• Determine if you need new money, why and what forms are appropriate
• Describe the trade-offs among various funding alternatives
• Define "Leverage" and its risks to you and the funder
• Summarize ways to find the right lender and the right time to start looking
• Identify the terms and conditions associated with a potential funder
• List the factors funders evaluate in deciding to extend a loan
• Discuss the importance of the business’s credit score to a lender
• Calculate the real cost of new money to your business

Who should attend?

Those who plan to start a business or have questions about cash needs to grow their existing business.

Speakers and Topics

Sandra Bojorque
Business Development Officer – VEDC
Valley Economic Development Centers are a vital source of capital for small business loans and micro-financing. 

Viktoria Krane
CEO of Lendoor, 
Lendoor is a crowdlending platform that helps small business owners raise low-interest loans from their social network, friends, and family. 

Mathew Revere 
Manager of Lending New York & New Jersey at Accion East
Accion offers microloans and other financial services to low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs in the United States who are typically unable to access bank credit to start or expand their small business.

Katherine Lynch
NYC Program Lead, Kiva Zip
Since joining the Kiva team in August 2014, Katherine has grown a program that has successfully fully funded over 250 entrepreneurs with 0% interest loans, leveraging over $1,300,000 of social capital.

Jay Trien
CPA and Partner Emeritus at Raich Ende Malter & Co. LLP.
Jay will discuss equity investors and other ways to finance your business without borrowing.

Facilitator:  Robert Moses
Robert Moses has worked as a CPA for 35 years, finishing his career as head of corporate taxes at Sony Corporation, specializing in domestic and international tax planning. Bob’s career included Price Waterhouse and being head of  tax departments in the oil and gas sectors as well as the entertainment industry, including Columbia Pictures. As a SCORE NYC Mentor, he has specialized in writing business plans and obtaining small business financing for small businesses. He has also given accounting and finance seminars for SCORE and for the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA). He holds a BS degree from Union College and an MBA from Baruch College.