The Reston, Va.-based P2P lender focusing on veterans and small businesses will use the funds to further expand its platform.
The round was led by Fenway Sumer, with participation from Endeavor Equity Holdings and Pivot Investments.
StreetShares involves veterans not just as borrowers but also as lenders, who provide portions of each loan through a marketplace lending platform. The idea, which Mr. Rockefeller calls “affinity group lending,” is that such loans carry lower risks as borrowers are more likely to repay when they know their lenders aren’t just big banks but veterans like them. That approach is reminiscent of the microlending strategy called solidarity lending that was popularized by Grameen Bank.
http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2016/03/14/streetshares-nabs-series-a-for-small-business-loans/