LEND360 starts in less than two weeks and we are looking forward to seeing you in Dallas. The conference is on track to be bigger and better than ever. If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time to get our last chance rate before it goes up on October 4.
LEND360 is known for having a robust agenda tightly focused on providing strong, actionable, and relevant content to attendees, highly curated for the industry at large, and this year’s conference agenda is stronger than ever.
You especially won’t want to miss the keynote session on Tuesday, October 7 at 12:00pm featuring Rodney Williams, Co-Founder of SoLo Funds. As the force behind the largest community finance platform in the United States, Rodney has redefined access to capital and built a Certified B Corp that has facilitated more than 2 million loans, proving that monumental growth and a powerful social mission can go hand in hand.
As an exclusive for our LEND360 Community, we asked Rodney a few questions, which gives us a preview of his remarks:
How do you see the community finance vertical playing a role in the online lending industry and what role do you see community finance playing in the future of lending?
Community finance is redefining the lending industry by shifting the power of capital allocation from traditional institutions to everyday individuals. Platforms like SoLo exemplify this transformation where lending isn’t just transactional, it’s intentional. Lenders on SoLo aren’t just seeking financial returns, they’re using discretionary funds to support real people in real time, often creating immediate impact in underserved communities. This model introduces a human element that’s largely absent in conventional lending and in the future, I believe it will challenge and complement traditional banking. Community finance will play a growing role in fostering financial literacy, reducing dependence on payday loans, and creating more resilient local economies. It’s the start of a financial culture shift from profit-only to profit-with-purpose.
What can lenders and the fintech sector at large learn from SoLo Funds and the community finance model?
Community finance has the potential to do what traditional finance has often failed to: meet people where they are. Platforms like SoLo allow individuals to use small portions of their uninvested savings to lend directly to borrowers with urgent needs often in amounts banks overlook. It’s not only about returns, but about impact, financial empowerment, and building trust between strangers.
In the future, I see community finance becoming increasingly mainstream powered by transparency, data, and platforms that prioritize accessibility over bureaucracy. With features like transaction history visibility, customizable lending strategies, and tools like the SoLo Score, lenders can make smart, values-driven decisions while supporting financial inclusion on a broad scale.
The community finance vertical is the heart of innovation in online lending. On platforms like SoLo, we’ve seen that when individuals lend using their discretionary funds. Not only do they often receive solid financial returns, but they also become part of a larger movement that’s democratizing access to capital. It’s not about giving money away; it’s about trusting the system, leveraging data like borrower history and SoLo Scores, and taking calculated steps toward impactful lending.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned as you built SoLo Funds into the largest community finance platform in the United States?
- Resilience is Everything in Fintech: One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that building in fintech requires an extraordinary level of resilience. The industry is evolving rapidly, but it’s also fraught with regulatory ambiguity and a shifting investment climate. We’ve seen many founders exit the space entirely because of these pressures. For us at SoLo, staying committed to our mission and providing equitable financial access has been our compass. Resilience, paired with purpose, has kept us pushing forward even when the environment turned hostile.
- Purpose-Driven Models Outperform: A critical takeaway has been the undeniable value of being mission-aligned. SoLo Funds was never built just to be a profitable company, it was built to be a meaningful one. That’s why we pursued and achieved B Corporation certification. It’s easy to get distracted in fintech by chasing scale or the next funding round, but our biggest wins have come from focusing on impact: empowering underserved communities, turning borrowers into lenders, and building real financial independence. That long-term vision has set us apart and kept us growing when others stalled.
- Let Borrowers Lead. Only Then Can Lenders Thrive: We’ve learned that giving control to the borrower isn’t just a differentiator, it’s a strategy for success. Traditional lending systems are built on rigid structures that penalize people for not fitting the mold. We flipped that model by allowing borrowers to set their own loan terms. The result? Lower default rates, greater trust, and a stronger, more active community. When people feel ownership over their financial choices, they make better ones.
- Community Capital Is the Future: Perhaps our biggest insight is that community-powered finance is not a niche, it’s the future. By enabling everyday people to lend small amounts and empowering others to eventually become lenders themselves, we’ve created a cycle of financial empowerment. This isn’t just lending; its capacity-building. We’ve proven that communities can fund themselves, grow together, and create sustainable financial ecosystems when given the right tools.
- Regulation Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint: Navigating fintech regulation has been one of the steepest parts of our learning curve. There’s no clear playbook for what we’re doing because no one has done it quite like this before. What we’ve learned is that working with regulators, rather than around them, is essential. It takes patience, education, and a willingness to help create the framework for innovation. It’s expensive, it’s complex, but it’s absolutely necessary if you want to scale with integrity.
