The Entrepreneur Hustle

Last month, we announced Zach Pennington of USChia Seeds would be receiving our second Growth Loan in an effort to help his startup gain access to capital.

A Growth Loan from Access Ventures enabled USChia to obtain a bulk order of US grown seeds from Florida. Without the additional seed, USChia would quickly run out of product and miss out on sales opportunities like Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

Finding cash to purchase inventory as quickly as possible was crucial for survival. The Growth Loan was a triple win for USChia as they solved supply issues around offering US grown seed in 2015, improved profit margins with their largest bulk purchase ever, and did it all without having to give up additional equity in the company.

“USChia Seeds is the premier source for American grown chia.”

Below are some images from our recent trip last week to see USChia in action at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, one of the largest international equestrian events.

The Growth Loan is a unique product in that it requires no financial collateral, a factor that is deal breaker for many small businesses when it comes to traditional lending. It was designed to work in tandem with other solutions such as Kiva to meet small businesses in whatever phase of businesses they might be with a goal of accessing mainstream capital options in the future.

The Growth Loan allows a person to receive up to $35,000 for businesses that have been operating for at least one year. USChia is a great example of a business that utilized both solutions by obtaining a $5,000 Kiva loan last fall for harvesting equipment and then later receiving a Growth Loan to help stock their inventory.