Augment Ventures May 2021 Update

Empowering Small and Medium-sized Businesses
Steven Lee, Co-Founder and CFO

We believe that small businesses are the backbone of the US economy and the engine of job growth. Our mission is to make it easy for small and medium-sized businesses to get the money they deserve for future growth without having to wait 30, 60, or 90 day net terms.

There is a dire need for businesses of all shapes and sizes to have access to alternative financing options during these uncertain times. They need funding that has metrics and risk data attached to help make an informed decision to turn invoicing into a marketplace commodity.

If we can improve global cash flow, particularly for SMEs, thousands of micro-economies worldwide could feel the uptick. We see this as an opportunity for all of us to collectively invest in others and benefit from a global economic recovery.

This led us to create the Reclaim the Future project.

The Reclaim the Future project is a 12-month economic recovery accelerator that will invite 1,000 companies to join the project and commit $1M+ each to fund real-time capital into global supplier and merchant invoices. This explosive investment ensures timely access to much-needed funds that will enable small businesses to spend the money they need to hire, diversify, and grow. Doing this through a platform that provides clear metrics on risk and allows funders to bid for the best terms, provides security in a time of uncertainty.

Everyone deserves to recover from this pandemic. Our solution will give SMEs equal access to cash flow that will enable them to drive forward and grow. This will allow them to maintain operations, rehire, create new jobs, produce more, sell more, and, ultimately, recover.

Learn more about the Crowdz platform below:

JPMorgan Letter to Shareholders
Insights and outlook for the US and global economy from Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase.
Annual Report 2020

TL;DR: For a snapshot of Jamie’s letter, Barron’s summarized their five highlights.

Year in Highlight – Michigan Ventures
The Michigan Venture Capital Association has released its 2021 Research Report on the state of venture capital in Michigan.

You can download it here.

Crowdz CEO Payson Johnston was featured in Forbes last month for his take on “The Funding Gap” in enterprises. Payson addresses the challenges minority-owned businesses face when obtaining funding. Click here to read his take on the racial divide within enterprise funding.

Cloud ArgronomicsRecently Cloud Agronomics was featured in Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas segment. Cloud Agronomics uses hyperspectral imaging to measure soil carbon levels in farmland. Click here to read more.