5th Line Capital launches Flex capital marketplace platform

5th Line, a financial services firm specializing in capital markets and equipment financing, has launched its Flex platform, which connects qualified companies with qualified lenders.  

The Boston-based company, which began as a debt-raising adviser for early-stage businesses in 2017, has expanded into tech, manufacturing and professional services, with CapEx and equipment financing expertise, founder and Chief Executive James Turner told Equipment Finance News. 

“The equipment financing space, unfortunately, can be very predatory, for lack of a better term,” he said, “especially in an area like this, where a lot of the business owners and finance professionals tend to be accountants, so they can do the math, but they’re not experienced in the capital markets area.” 

To help overcome predatory lending practices, last month Fifth Line launched Flex, short for Fifth Line Exchange, which streamlines matching up borrowers and lenders by converting conversation transcripts into structured deal summaries with AI, Turner said. This platform allows lenders to quickly assess opportunities while preserving the trust and relationship-building critical to the equipment finance industry. 

“At the end of the day, you need a human to lean on, to trust, to turn to, where technology just isn’t.” — 5th Line founder and CEO James Turner

“There are a lot of platforms out there, and what a lot of them do very well is they have a lot of algorithms matching capabilities,” he said. “There are platforms out there that really thrive and do a good job, but I think for companies that need anything beyond just introductions, that’s where the human component still plays a very strong role.” 

Platform process

Fifth Line maintains rigorous vetting on both sides of transactions, conducting background checks on borrowers and lenders alike, and ensures smaller clients receive the same level of service as multimillion-dollar borrowers, Turned said. Lenders on the platform include Bank of America; Bridge Bank, a division of Western Alliance Bank; Comerica; Eastern Bank; J.P. Morgan; Leader Bank; Silicon Valley Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank; and Wells Fargo, according to the company. 

Fifth Line’s compensation model remains outcome-based, as the company initially operated on a lender-paid model but shifted to a client-paid structure, mirroring its advisory business where borrowers hire and compensate the firm directly, with fees typically range from 1% to 3% of the total capital raised, reflecting its commitment to aligning incentives with client success, Turner said.  

Flex is a hybrid of tech and service rather than a pure marketplace, he added, aiming to elevate industry financing standards through automation, data accuracy and relationship management, he said. 

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