Our Mission and History
Elevate Funding began in 2014 when our CEO, Heather Francis, set out on a mission.
The mission? To launch a true direct funder built on these core values:
- Transparency
- Ethical underwriting decisions
- Doing right by both partners and merchants
To this day, our full team strives to embody these values in all that we do. What started with 5 employees in 2015 has blossomed into a dynamic, diverse, multi-department team. Each year, we continue to grow our number of referral partners, small businesses served, and our reputation as an ethical funder.
Dec. 2014
Founded
Elevate Funding was founded
Feb. 2015
First Deal
Funded our first small business
Dec. 2015
Volunteer Program
First volunteer event supporting Guardian Ad Litem
March 2016
Flex Funds
Introduced our valued add-on program, Flex Funds
April 2016
Merchant Milestone
Funded our 1,000th small business file
Dec. 2016
New Office
Moved into 5,000 square foot office space
Jan. 2017
Tasty Thursdays
Implemented "Tasty Thursday" - a weekly office breakfast
Jan. 2017
Fresh Website
Launched version 2.0 of our website
Feb. 2017
Elevate View
Rolled out proprietary portal/software, Elevate View
Dec. 2017
Socksssss
Our beloved branded socks made their debut at a conference
Feb. 2019
Funding Milestone
$50 million in contracts
April 2020
Abound Program
Introduced new program to assist businesses impacted by COVID-19
Sep. 2020
Blog Program
Launched our new blog and educational resources
Sep. 2020
Funding Milestone
$100 million in contracts
Nov. 2020
Rebrand & New Logo
Refreshed branding and updated logos
Feb. 2021
Self-Service Feature
Introduced self-service feature within Elevate View
April 2021
Elevate API
Introduced Elevate API for seamless partner submissions
May 2021
Fresh Website
Launched version 3.0 of our website
Dec. 2021
Adopted Ginger
Adopted Ginger, the office dog
Jan. 2022
New Office
Grew into an upgraded office space
May 2023
Funding Milestone
$150 million in contracts
July 2024
Merchant Milestone
Funded our 10,000th small business file
Jan. 2025
Expanded Office
Expanded our office to accommodate our growing team
Jan. 2025
10th Birthday
Celebrated Elevate's 10th year in business
Heather Francis, CEO
“We have held true [and will continue to hold true] to our core values. From the first deal funded to the last payment received, we are here for the benefit of the merchant and to help small businesses achieve their goals.”
To read more from Heather, visit the “CEO Insights” category on our blog!
