Announcements
First Business Bank Promotes Andrew Hendricks To Assistant Vice President – SBA Lending
February 24, 2026BROOKFIELD, WI – February 24, 2026 – First Business Bank announces the promotion of Andrew Hendricks to Assistant Vice President – SBA Lending.
Andrew Hendricks brings comprehensive commercial banking and SBA lending expertise to businesses and centers of influence seeking government-backed financing solutions through First Business Bank’s Brookfield office. With experience spanning conventional underwriting, credit analysis, portfolio management, and business development, Andrew helps clients access SBA programs that support business acquisitions, working capital needs, real estate purchases, and expansion initiatives. Andrew’s strong expertise and attention to detail give referral partners confidence in his work and First Business Bank’s Preferred Lender Program status. He guides borrowers through the application process while ensuring clients receive appropriate financing structures for their specific business goals.
Andrew earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
An SBA-designated Preferred Lending Partner, First Business Bank’s SBA Lending team provides efficient access for businesses to several SBA loan programs, including 7(a) loans, 504 loans, and the International Trade Loan program. The team operates nationwide to assist businesses with various needs, such as commercial real estate purchases, tenant improvements, equipment, working capital, business startup costs, inventory, business acquisitions, and debt refinancing.
About First Business Bank
First Business Bank® specializes in Business Banking, including Commercial Banking and Specialty Finance, Private Wealth, and Bank Consulting services, and through its refined focus delivers unmatched expertise, accessibility, and responsiveness. Specialty Finance solutions are delivered through First Business Bank’s wholly owned subsidiary First Business Specialty Finance, LLC®. First Business Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Business Financial Services, Inc®. (Nasdaq: FBIZ). For additional information, visit firstbusiness.bank. Member FDIC
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CAN Capital Acquires Equipment Finance Portfolio and Platform
February 23, 2026ATLANTA, GA — February 23, 2026 — CAN Capital, a leading provider of access to alternative financing solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, today announced that it has acquired the equipment finance portfolio and platform of Republic Bank Finance, a division of Republic Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: RBCAA), headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. The transaction further strengthens CAN Capital’s position as a diversified, growth-focused specialty finance company and expands its ability to serve businesses with flexible, financing solutions.
The acquisition adds a well-established equipment finance portfolio and operational platform to CAN Capital’s existing suite of working capital products, enhancing its ability to meet the evolving capital needs of small businesses across a wide range of industries. Going forward, CAN Capital will leverage its technology, national footprint, robust data and underwriting capabilities, and deep partner ecosystem to scale the equipment finance platform and deliver additional value to customers, brokers, and strategic partners.
“This acquisition is a natural extension of CAN Capital’s long-term growth strategy,” said Ed Siciliano, Chief Executive Officer. “We have built CAN Capital to be a scaled, durable platform that can grow both organically and through strategic acquisitions. Adding an equipment finance portfolio and platform enhances our product breadth, strengthens our market position, and allows us to serve more businesses with the right capital at the right time. This transaction reflects the momentum of our business and our continued confidence in the growth trajectory of CAN Capital.”
CAN Capital has provided access to over $8 billion to small businesses nationwide and supports over 80,000 customers across a broad range of industries, providing access to fast, flexible financing solutions designed to help businesses grow, manage cash flow, and invest in their operations. The addition of equipment financing capabilities allows CAN Capital to deepen relationships with existing customers while expanding its reach to new borrowers seeking equipment-backed financing solutions.
About CAN Capital
Founded in 1998, CAN Capital, Inc. is a leading provider of alternative financing for small and medium-sized businesses. Through a combination of technology, data-driven underwriting, and industry expertise, CAN Capital delivers fast, flexible capital solutions to help businesses succeed. Headquartered in Atlanta, CAN Capital serves businesses nationwide through a robust network of partners and direct channels. CAN Capital, Inc. makes capital available to businesses through business loans made by WebBank, makes equipment financing available through its CAN Capital Equipment Finance division and makes business lines of credit available through providers of that product.
For more information, visit www.cancapital.com.
NMEF Closes $440 Million NMEF 2026-A Securitization
February 23, 2026FEBRUARY 23, 2026 [NORWALK, CT] – North Mill Equipment Finance LLC (“NMEF”), a leading independent commercial equipment lender, today announced the successful closing of NMEF Funding 2026-A, a $440 million asset-backed securitization. The transaction marks NMEF’s 11th equipment finance securitization and brings the Company’s total issuance volume to more than $3.5 billion.
A total of 43 unique investors participated in the transaction, including 12 first-time investors, underscoring broad and expanding market confidence in NMEF’s platform and credit performance.
The transaction was nearly 7 times oversubscribed, generating broad-based demand across the capital structure. The depth and quality of participation supported a highly favorable execution relative to both initial price discussions and the Company’s 2025-B securitization, further demonstrating strong institutional confidence in NMEF’s platform.
“We are extremely pleased with the outcome of this transaction,” said Mark Bonanno, President and Chief Revenue Officer of NMEF. “The depth of investor participation and the strength of the order book reflect continued confidence in the quality of our originations, the consistency of our credit performance, and the durability of our platform. We are particularly encouraged by the number of new institutional investors who joined this issuance.”
Mitch Tobak, VP Corporate Development, added, “NMEF is grateful for the continued trust of investors and committed execution by our banking partners. With our strong liquidity position, we are focused on serving our origination partners and bringing high quality paper to the ABS capital markets.”
NMEF Funding 2026-A is collateralized by a diversified pool of commercial equipment finance receivables originated and serviced by NMEF.
About NMEF
NMEF is a premier lender working with third-party referral sources to finance small to mid-ticket equipment commercial leases and loans ranging from $15,000 to $3,000,000 and up to $5,000,000 for investment grade opportunities. NMEF accepts A – C credit qualities and finances transactions for many asset categories, including medical, construction, franchise, technology, vocational, manufacturing, and material handling equipment. NMEF is majority owned by an affiliate of InterVest Capital Partners and is headquartered in Norwalk, CT, with regional offices in Irvine, CA, Fort Collins, CO, Plymouth, MN, Voorhees NJ, and Murray, UT. One of NMEF’s controlled affiliates, BriteCap Financial LLC, is a leading non-bank lender providing small businesses with fast, convenient financing alternatives such as working capital loans since 2003 from its main office in Las Vegas, NV. For more information, visit www.nmef.com and www.britecap.com.
Channel Names Robert Moskovitz CFO, Eli Sethre Appointed President of Elite
February 17, 2026Minnetonka, MN, February 17, 2026 – Channel announced today that Robert Moskovitz has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer, adding further depth to its leadership team during a period of continued expansion.
In his role, Moskovitz will oversee Channel’s financial strategy, with a focus on capital markets, liquidity, and long-term growth. He will lead financial planning and analysis, funding initiatives, and capital structure decisions, ensuring the company remains well-positioned as it scales.
Moskovitz has deep experience in equipment finance and capital markets. Most recently, he served as Chief Financial Officer at Verdant Commercial Capital. Prior to Verdant, he spent 14 years as CFO of LEAF Commercial Capital, where he played a key role in growing the business, raising capital, and building financial systems to support sustained growth.
“Robert is widely respected for his extensive experience and the impact he’s had across the industry,” said Adam Peterson, CEO of Channel. “Having someone of his caliber join Channel says a lot about the future we’re building. His background and perspective come at a perfect time as we continue scaling our organization with discipline and purpose.”
Moskovitz is an active participant in the equipment finance industry and has worked with policymakers and regulatory bodies on issues including tax reform, financial regulation, and lease accounting. He currently serves on the Equipment Leasing & Finance Association (ELFA) Board of Directors and its Federal Tax Committee.
As part of this leadership update, Channel also announced that Eli Sethre has been appointed President of Elite, a business unit brand that focuses on partnerships with Independent Sales Organizations and operates out of Kennesaw, Georgia. In this role, Sethre will lead Elite’s working capital strategy, centered on strengthening sales and operations, expanding the product offering, and deepening relationships across its core markets.
Under new and independent ownership, Elite is entering a renewed phase of strategic vision and growth. With a proactive approach and an emphasis on long-term value creation, the business is well positioned for its next chapter. Sethre was key in identifying this opportunity and expressed a strong interest in leading Elite through this period of transformation.
Sethre joined Channel in 2016 as Chief Financial Officer, where he oversaw finance and accounting, risk analytics, portfolio management, servicing, and reporting. Prior to Channel, he founded aFundia, a data analytics and modeling firm, and previously held senior leadership roles at CAN Capital across sales and marketing, finance and business planning, and risk analytics. After nearly a decade as Channel’s CFO, Sethre viewed the transition as an opportunity to broaden his leadership experience through a hands-on operational role.
“Eli has been instrumental in building the strong financial and operational foundation at Channel,” said Adam Peterson, CEO of Channel. “As our organization continues to evolve, his passion for leading Elite and his deep understanding of our strategy make him the right leader to guide the business into its next phase of growth.”
These leadership updates show Channel’s commitment to smart expansion and long-term leadership strength.
About Channel | Established in 2009, Channel is a leading full-service independent lender offering a single source solution for both equipment finance and working capital to small businesses exclusively through equipment finance companies. To date, Channel has funded over $3.35 billion to more than 34,000 business in over 52,000 transactions across the U.S. With headquarters in Minnetonka, MN, the company also operates additional business units and locations in Kennesaw, GA, Mount Laurel, NJ, Des Moines, IA, and Marshall, MN.
World Business Lenders (WBL) Announces a USD $250 Million Investment
February 11, 2026February 11, 2026 – World Business Lenders (WBL) announced a USD $250 million investment from its primary financing partner. As a result, WBL becomes majority institutionally-owned, with its primary financing partner holding the largest single institutional equity position. The company’s founder and CEO, Doug Naidus, continues to lead the platform.
This increase to WBL’s balance sheet and capital access underscores the institutional validation of its core business model, as WBL continues now to scale its products, operations and lending footprint, including the launch of additional loan programs and origination channels in 2026.
About World Business Lenders
World Business Lenders provides general purpose short-term real estate collateralized commercial loans to a broad customer base comprised of short-term residential rentals, small and medium sized businesses throughout the country that lack access to traditional funding. WBL services its loan portfolios along with loan portfolios for third parties, specializing in the management of non-performing loans and REO management and disposition. For additional information, contact Terence Reilly, Senior Vice President, at treilly@wbl.com.
Byzfunder Reports 40% Growth in 2025, Driven by AI Underwriting, ByzFlex Expansion, and a 30% Increase in Customer Portal Engagement
February 10, 2026NEW YORK — February 10, 2026 — Most lenders spent the last decade tweaking rates. Byzfunder rebuilt the engine. While the small-business lending industry debated incremental changes — a faster portal here, a new rate sheet there — Byzfunder made a different bet: if the system is broken, don’t optimize it. Replace it.
In 2025, Byzfunder stopped operating like a traditional lender and started operating like a technology company that happens to move capital. Our new approach is opening new doors for small businesses, which in turn is driving tremendous growth for ByzFunder.
Byzfunder today announced 40% year-over-year growth, record originations, higher approvals with improving portfolio performance, and reduced customer friction across the funding journey. The company also reported a 30% increase in customer portal engagement, reflecting stronger customer loyalty and repeat business — driven by increased adoption of self-serve tools, faster visibility into funding progress, and a cleaner end-to-end experience that reduces unnecessary handoffs.
“Most of the industry is still running on static rules and patched-together systems,” said Ilya Fridman, CEO & Founder of Byzfunder. “We built a modern credit engine designed to learn every day. We didn’t aim to be slightly better — we built Byzfunder to be structurally different.”
Byz.AI: From Underwriting Feature to Decision Brain
In 2025, Byzfunder advanced its AI foundation with Byz.AI — not as a feature, but as the decision brain behind underwriting and pricing. Byz.AI evaluates real-time business signals (cash flow patterns, revenue trends, banking behavior, and industry cycles) to deliver faster decisions and more accurate risk-based pricing than static scorecards. And because it continuously learns from outcomes — repayments, defaults, and merchant behavior — it improves as volume scales. When Byz.AI went live, it widened what we could confidently approve: businesses competitors couldn’t underwrite became some of Byzfunder’s strongest-performing customers, helping drive growth without compromising discipline.
ByzFlex: The Product that Changed Repeat Behavior
A defining driver of 2025 growth was ByzFlex, which now accounts for 20% of total originations, making it one of the fastest-adopted products in Byzfunder’s history. ByzFlex gives your business ongoing access to working capital — acting like a business line of credit, but structured as a revenue-based financing. Funding that resets itself as you repay. ByzFlex was built for how small businesses actually operate: not as a one-time advance, but as a repeatable capital layer that can be accessed as needs change — with flexible draws and capital that moves when they move.
Customer Service — And We Mean Real Customer Service
Byzfunder also continued investing in service as a competitive advantage. In an industry known for tickets, hold times, and scripts, Byzfunder’s approach combines real human support with intelligent automation to create a more responsive, partner-like experience. When a merchant calls Byzfunder, they get answers — not a queue. In a commoditized market, experience becomes the moat.
“In SMB funding, service is often treated as a cost center,” Fridman added. “We treat it as a growth lever. When merchants trust the experience, they come back — and they refer.”
Leadership Built for Scale
In 2025, Byzfunder strengthened its operating bench — not by hiring “managers,” but by hiring builders. Entrepreneurs. Operators. People who have scaled companies, not maintained them. New leadership was added across the CMO, CRO, CISO, Head of People, and Head of Sales functions as Byzfunder scales its platform, expands distribution, and builds a team designed to shock the industry.
2026: The Real Leap
Most lenders buy software. Byzfunder is building its own from scratch. In 2026, Byzfunder plans to launch a fully proprietary, end-to-end AI Lending Management System spanning intake, underwriting, pricing, funding, servicing, and collections — with every step learning, every step automated, and every step improving itself. No handoffs. No legacy vendors. No duct tape. Just one intelligent system: a closed-loop credit engine designed to get smarter every day. This isn’t digital transformation — it’s infrastructure replacement.
“SMB lending has been stagnant for years. Same products. Same underwriting. Same excuses,” said Fridman. “That gap created opportunity. We didn’t want to be slightly better — we wanted to be structurally different. The world is evolving faster than most people realize. The lenders who build for tomorrow will own the next decade. We’re not early anymore. We’re accelerating.”
About Byzfunder
Byzfunder is an AI-driven small business funder delivering fast, flexible capital to entrepreneurs underserved by traditional finance. Founded in 2019, the company combines machine learning, proprietary infrastructure, and a service-first philosophy to create a fundamentally better funding experience.
Media Contact
Xin Hamilton
press@byzfunder.com
CS Lend Fuji 3.0 Launches to Help Lenders Stop Working Out of Their Inbox and Originate From One System
February 6, 2026Los Angeles, CA – Cloudsquare announced the release of CS Lend Fuji 3.0, a major platform update designed to eliminate inbox-driven origination workflows and give lending teams a single system to manage communication, execution, and deal progress.
Across the lending industry, origination still runs through shared inboxes. Brokers email constantly for status updates, revised terms, contracts, and changes. Teams monitor the inbox, switch into the CRM to find the Opportunity and review data, then return to email to respond. This back-and-forth becomes the operating model, slowing deals down and making it difficult to maintain clear visibility into deal status.
As volume increases, this way of working creates delays, missed follow-ups, and confusion. Deal information becomes scattered across inbox threads and notes, and teams spend more time keeping email and CRM activity in sync than moving deals forward.
CS Lend Fuji 3.0 addresses this problem by fundamentally changing how communication flows. Anyone on the team can now read and reply to emails directly from the Opportunity, allowing origination work to happen in one shared place with full context and clear next steps.
Centralized Email Management Built for Origination
The headline feature of Fuji 3.0 is Centralized Email Management. Origination-related emails are automatically captured and displayed directly on the Opportunity timeline, bringing communication into the system of record.
When a broker asks for a status update, teams can see the full conversation history, context, and email thread in one view and reply directly from the Opportunity, just as they would from an inbox. This provides clear visibility into who responded and what has already been addressed, while ensuring the CRM remains the source of truth.
Task-Driven Follow-Ups With Clear Accountability
Fuji 3.0 also introduces task-driven notifications that turn communication into action. In high-volume origination environments, relying on memory to track follow-ups creates risk and inconsistency.
By tying email activity to follow-up tasks, important broker requests and internal reviews become trackable and assignable. This ensures next steps are visible and owned, helping every deal move forward without manual checking.
Expanded Global Search for Faster Answers
To further reduce friction, Fuji 3.0 expands Global Search across the borrower lifecycle. Teams can now quickly find Agreements, Applications, Remittances, Syndications, and Cases by searching an Account name.
This provides a complete view of borrower activity in seconds and significantly reduces time spent searching for information that should be immediately accessible.
Cleaner Data at Entry
Fuji 3.0 also improves data quality at the point of entry with built-in validation for U.S. bank routing numbers using ABA checksum algorithms. Routing numbers are validated the moment they are entered, helping prevent format errors that often lead to failed transactions and operational cleanup later in the lifecycle.
Servicing Reliability Improvements
The release includes several servicing fixes focused on stability and accuracy, including improvements to PDF generation for Statements and Remittance reports, refinements to reschedule logic and payment rounding, and updates to support high-volume weekend processing.
Why Fuji 3.0 Matters
For too long, origination teams have been forced to react to the loudest email in the inbox. Fuji 3.0 gives teams control over the deal again by unifying communication, search, and data validation inside a single system.
This release lays the foundation for the next stage of growth, allowing lending teams to scale volume without scaling headcount or operational complexity.
About Cloudsquare
Cloudsquare is the leading end-to-end lending platform, uniquely powered by Salesforce, to deliver unparalleled flexibility and innovation for lenders and brokers. With a commitment to optimizing lending processes through cutting-edge technology, Cloudsquare provides robust, scalable solutions that empower clients to achieve greater efficiency and growth. Celebrated by industry leaders, Cloudsquare has earned a place on the Inc. 5000 list as one of America’s fastest-growing companies and is consistently rated a top service provider on platforms like Salesforce AppExchange, G2, Clutch, and Manifest.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Cloudsquare Marketing Email: marketing@cloudsquare.io
VOX Funding and Cloudsquare Partner to Accelerate API-Driven Capital Automation
January 29, 2026New York, NY – VOX Funding, a leading fintech provider of fast and flexible capital solutions for small and mid-sized businesses, has partnered with Cloudsquare, the premier Salesforce-native alternative business lending CRM for brokers. Together, the companies are introducing a next-generation, API-powered funding workflow designed to eliminate manual handoffs and accelerate deal flow across the entire broker ecosystem.
This integration enables real-time submissions, faster approvals, and cleaner funding processes – reducing reliance on email communication and eliminating delays caused by traditional back-and-forth exchanges.
A Seamless, Fully Connected Lending Experience
Through this partnership, VOX Funding has expanded the reach of its SYNQ API by integrating directly with Cloudsquare’s Salesforce-powered platform. ISOs using Cloudsquare can now submit deals to VOX instantly, enabling a smoother and more transparent process from initial application through final approval.
Brokers and merchants gain true end-to-end visibility into the funding journey, including offers, documents, stipulations, and real-time status updates, all within the systems they already use.
“Too many brokers who submit to VOX are limited by CRMs that cannot support API submissions, and building their own integration is not realistic for most teams,” said Jeffrey Morgenstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Cloudsquare. “This partnership creates a seamless upgrade path so brokers can transition to Cloudsquare and work with VOX more efficiently, with improved speed and total transparency.”
Positioning VOX for Scalable Growth
For VOX Funding, this integration represents a major leap forward in scalability and partner enablement. By reducing manual touchpoints and automating key workflow steps, VOX can serve its broker network with greater speed, accuracy, and operational efficiency.
“Our mission is to make capital access fast, flexible, and tailored to the unique needs of every business,” said Louis Calderone, Co-Founder and President of VOX Funding. “Cloudsquare’s API-driven platform brings speed and transparency, allowing us – and our partners – to work smarter and deliver better outcomes for the clients who rely on us.”
About VOX Funding
VOX Funding delivers fast, flexible, and creative capital solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses. By tailoring funding to each business’s needs — often within 24 hours – VOX helps merchants seize opportunities, expand operations, and achieve sustainable growth without delay.
www.voxfunding.com
About Cloudsquare
Cloudsquare is the leading end-to-end lending platform, uniquely powered by Salesforce, to deliver unparalleled flexibility and innovation for lenders and brokers. With a commitment to optimizing lending processes through cutting-edge technology, Cloudsquare provides robust, scalable solutions that empower clients to achieve greater efficiency and growth. Celebrated by industry leaders, Cloudsquare has earned a place on the Inc. 5000 list as one of America’s fastest-growing companies and is consistently rated a top service provider on platforms like Salesforce AppExchange, G2, Clutch, and Manifest.
