Many small businesses are cash strapped operations that need access to working capital to take care of everyday needs like payroll and inventory. Sadly, many loan vehicles for small business owners and particularly, minority owned small businesses, do not serve this large and necessary demographic of entrepreneurs. 

 

Today, I sit with Kenny Salas,Co-founder and COO of Camino financial,  an AI powered community development, financial institution, or CDFI. This FinTech platform fuels generational wealth for America's overlooked entrepreneurs. 

 

Kenny along with his brother, Sean, Co-founder and CEO of Camino Financial, have built a team of 130 plus associates across the United States and Latin America to fulfill their vision. Since its inception in 2014, the company has financed over $150 million in micro loans funding over 7,000 small businesses resulting in over $100 million in fees and interest saved.

 

Founder Bio 

 

Before starting Camino Financial with his brother, Sean, Kenny worked at the private equity firm, Palladium Equity Partners. His responsibilities included investing into middle-sized businesses, managing five portfolio companies and serving on the board of directors for Wise Foods. He also collaborated with his portfolio brands to formulate strategic and financial planning. 

 

Before Palladium, Kenny began his career as a financial analyst for Barclays capital. He holds an MBA from Harvard business school  and a bachelor's in political economy from the University of California, Berkeley. 

03:23 - Kenny’s professional journey and how him and twin brother grew up pre-Camino Financial 

07:16 - How his mom and family’s entrepreneurial journey influenced his life and career 

11:13 - The pain point for small business owners that became the catalyst for Camino Financial 

13:30 - The first demographic of small business owners they went after and the initial insights they got from the first iteration of the loan service 

17:32 - How they’re utilizing data on their borrowers to automate the loan process and build AI solutions within their platform 

22:19 - The importance of being culturally aligned with their customer base and how that’s influenced them to build an office in Mexico City

24:09 - How they approached building a digital first platform with little coding experience

28:28 -  How they approach team building in Mexico and South America

34:53 - Kenny’s fundraising strategy for Camino Financial and how it changed in different funding rounds

39:48 - Kenny’s advice on preparing for the Seed round vs Series B

43:21 -  Camino’s potential to expand into other international markets 

45:29 - How to get in contact with the Camino Financial team