Battling Bias To Boost Small Businesses: C2FO CEO Sandy Kemper

# Cash and Working Capital

# DEI

The CEO of a working capital platform says early payments can level the field for minority- and women-owned businesses.

A slowing US economy and elevated interest rates are putting renewed focus on working capital management and the obstacles faced by many minority- and women-owned small businesses in obtaining bank loans in the current regulatory environment. One way around the problem: early payments that allow vendors to get paid faster and offer buyers a discount.

In a NeuGroup video you can watch by clicking the play button below, C2FO founder and CEO Sandy Kemper advocates for solutions and platforms like the one his company offers that bypass traditional loan processes where banks must assess credit risk, putting smaller businesses at a disadvantage.

Early payments address what Mr. Kemper describes as bias. “The only way you’re going to solve bias, or to a degree, perceived prejudice in the financial system, is to stop the process and the need to risk underwrite,” he says in the video. “When somebody gets paid early, there’s no risk to it.”

Less friction. The full conversation between Mr. Kemper and NeuGroup founder and CEO Joseph Neu will be released in the coming weeks on NeuGroup’s Strategic Finance Lab podcast. The interview includes the former bank CEO’s insights on reducing “friction” in financial marketplaces and how he applied his friction reduction mindset to the art market. Mr. Kemper—who lives with his family on a ranch along with horses and sheep—also discusses lessons he’s learned from nature and ecosystems.