Showing up for our small businesses: A conversation with Nectar’s Kristin Wallace
Small Business Loan Officer Kristin Wallace recently served on a panel at the City of Lawrence’s Capital Access event, where she connected with local small business owners, startups and aspiring entrepreneurs about how Nectar’s products can support their growth. We caught up with Kristin after the event to hear her perspective on the challenges that small businesses face in accessing capital and what resources are available to them here in Massachusetts. For small businesses looking to grow, what are some of the biggest barriers in accessing capital? Many of the entrepreneurs we serve face systemic barriers that go far beyond credit history or collateral. Racism, language access challenges, immigration status, gender bias, and limited access to fair and affordable financial products all contribute to persistent funding gaps. Capable, experienced business owners in historically disinvested communities are often denied capital because traditional financial systems were not designed with their experiences or realities in mind. As a result, entrepreneurs of color, women business owners, and low-income entrepreneurs are frequently underfunded — not because they are underprepared, but because the system itself is not equitable. What is Nectar doing to overcome those barriers? Nectar is committed to reimagining how capital flows to historically disinvested communities. We …
