Marlette Funding has only been around since 2014 but they are already building a stellar track record. They were the fastest platform to reach $1 billion although given the challenges other fast growing platforms have had that is not something to brag about these days.

StreetShares is a unique small business lender. They have only been around for a couple of years but they are quietly building a business model that has never really been attempted before in this industry. They have created an affinity model that helps build a community between borrowers and lenders that leads to real benefits for both parties.

Since online lending is a new industry there are very few, if any, true veterans of the space – those people who have spent more than a decade honing their craft. Glenn Goldman certainly qualifies here with 12 years at the helm of the original online small business lender, CAN Capital and now CEO of Credibly.

Some people saw the opportunity early. Jon Barlow not only saw the opportunity of marketplace lending but he seized upon it, creating one of the first institutional investment managers, Eaglewood Capital (now MW Eaglewood), in the space. He also broke new ground by executing the very first securitization ever of marketplace lending assets.

The ecosystem that is being built today around marketplace lending is becoming more important as the industry matures. Today, more than ever before, investors are demanding independent analysis of the risks they are taking.

Brian Korn, a partner with at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, has become one of the leading legal voices in the marketplace lending industry. He has worked with both lending platforms and investors over the past several years and knows the intricacies of the law on both sides.

Nav Athwal has pretty much a perfect background to be successful as the CEO of a prominent real estate crowdfunding platform. He started off as a real estate broker, became a real estate lawyer, worked with then startups Airbnb and Pinterest, helped institutional investors buy real estate and also started buying real estate himself. So, he has pretty much covered all aspects of the real estate business before starting RealtyShares.

Brian Weinstein has a unique perspective on this industry. He used to manage a $300 billion fixed income portfolio at BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, and so he has a deep understanding of fixed income – what is most important and how it performs in different economic cycles.

It has been an extraordinarily busy past couple of weeks as far as industry news goes. So, I wanted to get the perspective of someone who is well connected with both investors and lending platforms on to the show to talk about the recent events.