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PAVE is a credit-building subscription service with a mission to “put a stop to the financial inequality that is spreading in our society.”  

Harnessing state-of-the-art analytics that combines open banking data, credit file data, and data from over 100,000 proprietary lending decisions, 

 aims to put individuals and businesses on a sustainable path to good credit. 

Founded in 2018 (originally Portify), the company has raised several equity rounds. In 2022, Pave launched its B2B service, the 

, which helps businesses make the best lending decisions to increase acceptances, reduce risk, and save time. 

Like many entrepreneurs, Pave co-founder and CEO 

 admits to having a love-hate relationship with fundraising. But after growing up in Japan and working in its social finance sector, working for an NGO in Brazil, and moving to London feeling “inspired by the power of what financial services could do for financial inclusion,” he was committed to Pave’s vision. Which meant he’d need to look for capital to have the biggest impact. 

The challenge: Getting the capital to get the word out about the Pave app

With a strong vision in place, investing in marketing would help the company grow faster. But Sho says Pave’s biggest challenge was getting the word out. “As a founder, you don’t want to be spending time fundraising. You want to be building your company.”

After multiple funding rounds—and all the effort that went into them—Sho and team needed a capital solution that would help them reach their goals and stay focused on the business.

The solution: Efficient, streamlined access to capital

In the end, though, Sho’s pavement pounding led to a solution to Pave’s problems—and even opened up opportunities he didn’t know were possible. While preparing for a 

 round, Sho got a message from a colleague who recommended 

Within 48 hours of that call, Pave was on track to trade its recurring revenue for up-front non-dilutive capital on Pipe. 

The results: Faster growth through frictionless financing

Pave was able to access capital to invest directly into marketing. And rather than slowing themselves down by reaching out to investors for funding, they got that capital instantly and were free to focus on running the company. 

“We’re a pretty high-growth business with multi-million revenue,” said Sugihara. Pipe helps Pave feel far more comfortable in its own lane, and forging its own path. “There’s lots of hype on 

, or wherever around large and increasingly larger venture-backed raises… we haven’t raised as much of those types of headlines because, frankly, we haven’t had the need. It’s often quite important not to get distracted by those mega rounds, because that’s not necessarily success.”

Sugihara assumed further dilution was definitely in Pave’s future, but now says “Since we have quite a strong repeatable revenue business, [We’re able] to avoid dilution.” “Pipe’s funding model creates a great alternative structure to retain your interest in your own company longer.”

PAVE is a credit-building subscription service with a mission to “put a stop to the financial inequality that is spreading in our society.

As a founder, you don’t want to be spending time fundraising. You want to be building your company.

How Pave got 7 figures of capital to scale in just 48 hours

Case Study: How Pave got 7 figures of dilution-free capital to scale their business in just 48 hours

How Pave got 7 figures of dilution-free capital to scale their business in just 48 hours

Although Visible has helped loads of entrepreneurs, team members, and investors spark engagement since 2014, that didn’t make Visible exempt from the same snags and complexities wrapped up in managing their own growth.

In the rear-view, Mike remembers a “burdensome process” of “using my own money, trying to find the cheapest flights, cheapest rental cars, cheapest everything and flying across the states trying to pitch people for money.”

For each and every hard-won lead Visible explored, Preuss said, “the process might take months, if not more than months, and you’re trying to close capital in weeks… a lot of times, it might be a waste of time, or they might not be the right fit.”

This trial-and-error process isn’t unique to Visible—it might sound familiar to anyone who’s tried to start or grow their own company. When it comes to 

, it can be, as Mike says “complex” and “opaque”—and rejection is often a grudgingly accepted part of the deal.

With 70% of their customers on monthly subscriptions, recurring revenue was the name of the game for Visible.

 right as the platform emerged—in fact, Visible was an early customer on Pipe’s platform. He quickly dug in to the opportunity for Visible to take monthly customers, and treat them as if they were annual customers, creating all kinds of new ways to invest and grow their business.

The results: 80% growth for Visible, and a new relationship with the future

Mike says Visible grew 80% in 2021 without “burn[ing] a single dollar.” Using Pipe each month has not only given Mike a much faster and more streamlined way to 

 but also new ways to think about financing many aspects of the business, from growth to new hires and marketing campaigns. 

By reframing monthly and quarterly contracts as an annual value, Visible has tapped into capital without dilution. And Mike says it dramatically shifted the company’s relationship with its own future. 

We’re able to think in years and not months because of Pipe

… Pipe’s been incredible for helping us keep control of our own destiny.” 

A new way to access capital has enabled Visible to think differently when it comes to hiring employees or launching marketing campaigns.

Learn how Visible.vc was able to grow their company 80% in one year without burning their cash reserves by using Pipe's growth financing.

SaaS

Case Study: How Pave got 7 figures of dilution-free capital to scale their business in just 48 hours

Case Study: How Visible.vc grew 80% in one year without burning a single dollar

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Case Study: How Visible.vc grew 80% in one year without burning a single dollar

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