SMBX fills the void for small businesses and investors alike to secure funding for small businesses and sidestepping the normal process of applying for a traditional small business loan.
SMBX was founded by Benjamin Lozano (a Ph.D. and former finance professor), Gabrielle Katsnelson (accountant and financial manager), Bhavish Balhotra (banking technologist), and Jackie Chan (former investment banker), who are all self-proclaimed fintech enthusiasts.Thus, SMBX was created and allowed investors to invest in small business bonds with as little as $10.
How SMBX Is Different Than Other Investment Platform
SMBX is a Regulation CF company, also referred to as an equity crowdfunding platform. They focus specifically on small business debt targeting the Small Business Administration loan market.
Companies That Are Eligible To Seek Funding From SMBX
The SMBX model is not for start-up companies. Their model focuses on providing funding to help small businesses expand or restructure debt while minimizing investors’ risk.
Each small business determines the amount of funding they need, which will be provided in crowdsourcing bonds. SMBX charges 3.5% of the total capital raised at the end of a successful MDA process.
How Much Does SMBX Charge Companies Who Are Seeking Equity?
SMBX describes its model as a new way to invest in local small businesses through bonds from their website. Bonds are like loans, but instead of borrowing money from a bank, small businesses borrow money from investors in bonds.
Without creating an account, I could browse through the businesses seeking funding from investors in the form of fixed-interest bonds. I could pull up information about each business from the marketplace to understand their business model, plans, goals, and financials.
In addition to the company bond information, each company shares a story unique to its brand. For Humphry Slocombe, they prepared a brief history about the founders and their progress since opening in 2008.