Out of stealth mode, into the light.
Until yesterday, APiO has been content to labor quietly from the co-working confines of Salt Mine, flying under the radar in stealth mode, building out a financial solution for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
Stealth mode is no more, with APiO announcing the close of a $2.5 million seed round from private investors. The solution is still young, but the future is bright…
“According to World Bank, there are over 365 million small- to medium-sized businesses around the globe, and most of these firms struggle on a regular basis with cash flow,” said William Borghetti, APiO Founder and CEO. “In fact, one recent study suggests that 7 out of 10 small business fail even though they are profitable on an accrual basis. One ‘obvious’ recourse for these enterprises is to turn to banks for short-term loans. But here in the U.S., it takes 33 hours on average for an entrepreneur to apply for a single bank loan, and only 1 in 10 qualify for such loans. The bottom line is that short-term capital options for SMBs are very limited in the U.S., and we at APiO plan to change that.”
For SMBs, finding access to capital is a problem older than time. APiO is in the early stages — no really, they’re essentially hiring for just about every position — of building a solution that combines elements of nearly every financial technology, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, data integration, and blockchaining. With a seed round now locked in place, APiO’s vision is close to being realized.
