Happy Sunday, friends!

2022 is going to be an exciting year. Here at RBFN, we are busy planning a number of cool initiatives. 

For example, we are planning to shift our Speaker Series to a podcast format so that it’s easier for us to share and distribute knowledge, and easier for everyone to access and consume. Speaking of which, if you have any quick recommendations on cost-effective podcast editing and distribution options, please do share!

And remember back in Q4 2021 when I asked you all who in the world we should talk to about funding Main Street businesses. We have several conversations lined up that I think will allow us all to learn from the folks who are helping the entrepreneurs who really struggle for capital (i.e., the ones who aren’t SaaS or tech). I’m really excited to share that the first of these Speaker Series is with Caroline Bressan, Managing Director of Open Road Alliance. Caroline leads the investment team at Open Road, where she guides a super interesting thesis and platform that I’m fascinated by. Here’s a little more about their work: Open Road eliminates funding delays and accelerates growth for impact-first companies by providing short-term bridge loans, Open Road offers fast, flexible, and affordable financing to companies across geographies and sectors facing unforeseen financing gaps that threaten to derail their work. Since its founding in 2012, Open Road has loaned more than $45 million to over 130 social ventures, keeping $450M  of impact and follow-on financing into these ventures on track.