What does it take to build a lending business that has deployed nearly $1.5 billion to small businesses over 17 years?

In this episode of NCFA Fintech Fridays, David Gens, Founder and CEO of Merchant Growth, shares how he built one of Canada's leading alternative small business lenders from the ground up. We explore why many good businesses still struggle to access financing, how technology and AI are changing underwriting, what it takes to scale responsibly, and the lessons learned from serving more than 15,000 businesses.

David also reflects on launching a fintech at just 22 years old, navigating changing economic cycles, building long term lending partnerships, and balancing innovation with disciplined risk management in an increasingly competitive lending market.

Whether you're building a fintech, running a growing company, investing in financial innovation, or interested in the future of small business lending, this conversation delivers practical insights on entrepreneurship, lending, risk management, AI, and long term growth.

Most entrepreneurs understand business risk. Fewer realize that signing a personal guarantee on a business loan can put their personal savings, investments, and even their home at risk.

In Season 4, Episode 65 of Fintech Fridays, NCFA Founder and CEO Craig Asano speaks with Craig Arnatt, Founder and CEO of PGI Cover, about Personal Guarantee Insurance in Canada and one of the most overlooked risks in business financing.

Craig explains what personal guarantees are, why lenders require them, how they affect founders, business owners, search fund acquirers, and M&A buyers, and what can happen when a business loan goes into default. The episode also explores Canada’s business succession wave, leveraged acquisition financing, AI assisted underwriting, embedded insurance, fintech partnerships, and how PGI Cover is building a new category of protection for entrepreneurs.

Whether you are raising capital, buying a business, advising clients, or lending to entrepreneurs, this episode offers a practical look at a risk often buried inside loan agreements but capable of creating serious personal financial consequences when things go wrong.

In this episode of Fintech Fridays, Craig Asano sits down with Shael Weinreb, Founder and CEO of The Home Equity Partners, to unpack a financing gap that hits many Canadian homeowners hard. Shael explains how HEQ’s Home Equity Sharing Agreement (HESA) gives homeowners another way to access equity without taking on a traditional loan, monthly interest payments, or the pressure that comes with a refinancing decision. He also shares the personal story that sparked the business after his father, despite holding substantial home equity, could not access the funds he needed through a bank.

The conversation goes beyond product basics. Shael breaks down how the HESA model works in practice, where it may fit better than a HELOC or reverse mortgage, and why education remains one of the biggest challenges when introducing a new financial category to the market. He also talks candidly about founder pressure, resistance to innovation, and why he believes Canadians need more choice as rigid lending practices leave too many homeowners stuck between valuable assets and weak cash flow. Enjoy!!

Duration:  53 mins