Happy Inauguration Week, everyone! Now that that’s behind us, it’s exciting to look at the future. For our community, I think the future is indeed exciting. Think of it. Two short years ago, we didn’t know each other all that well, and we weren’t sure who was doing what. That’s different now. 

We as investors are more connected than we ever were before. While I am only one node in this RBF network, I am experiencing more frequent contact with other practitioners, and a denser network and richer conversation, over these past couple months. I think that is a result of more practitioners looking for kindred spirits as they build their platforms, but it is also, I think, a result of the work that we are doing to become more connected. 

As exciting is the emergence of new variations on the theme of non-equity funding coming out seemingly daily now. You’ll find below a link to an article by our friends David Teten and Jamie Finney who share thoughts on a category of model that isn’t RBF, but that does encompass an entire set of firms and investors growing their portfolios and their impact. The work these firms are doing can inform all of us.

You’ll also find an article about a firm doing a form of invoice financing. Again, not really RBF, but a variation on that theme and a synthesis of different models into one that benefits young companies not on the equity path. 

So keep it up, folks, and keep sharing your thoughts and experiences because this is how we learn.

Oh, btw, I’ll share the first few Speaker Series dates and guests for 2021 soon. We’re locking down dates and times, and looking forward to some great conversations!

Have a great week.
-Keith