The Financial Technology Report named Sam Graziano, co-founder and CEO of Fundation, one of the top 50 financial technology CEOs of 2020. Fundation is a financial technology company focused on modernizing how credit is delivered to the small business market.
“These exceptional executives lead some of the most prominent financial technology companies across the globe and have helped define many of the wide scale advancements the industry has undergone over recent years,” Jerald Hapitan, editor of The Financial Technology Report, said. “They are innovators, strategists and corporate leaders, who have built important organizations that are driving massive change in the way we spend, save, invest or otherwise manage our financial lives.”
The Financial Technology Report reviewed thousands of CEOs from which they invited a select set to participate in this year’s nomination process. The company then evaluated several hundred nominations and performed a more detailed review of each candidate based on demonstrated leadership capabilities by researching qualified information sources and publicly available information. The company then looked for technological impact on the financial industry, breadth of organization, number of businesses or consumers reached, career achievements and influence in the field and among peers.
For nearly a decade, Fundation has developed its proprietary platform to provide benefits to banks, B2B merchants and other institutions to enable their small business customers to access capital through the modern experiences they expect in the digital era. Originally founded as a direct loan originator, Fundation has become a platform provider to the U.S. banking system in the small business lending market.
Fundation provides private labeled origination solutions to companies like Citizens Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Bank of the West and Associated Bank. Fundation also develops “embedded credit” programs on behalf of its clients – deeply integrated API enabled solutions allowing third party technology platforms to provide their small business customers with a native experience when using Fundation’s products or bank credit products. The company also provides software solutions through its Kinnek subsidiary and point of sale financing solutions for B2B merchants, vendors and manufacturers.
“We view ourselves as an emerging financial infrastructure company, helping our clients modernize the way they acquire and originate new customer relationships across customer acquisition channels they own and channels we can help them access with our technology,” Graziano said.
Fundation was a contributor to the Paycheck Protection Program, having facilitated more than 100,000 PPP loans and more than $10 billion of volume through white labeled digital applications for two top 15 banks.
“We view ourselves as one of the many unsung heroes of the PPP program, working behind the scenes to empower two world class institutions in serving their small business clients,” Graziano said.
