User:Santafesoul/Verifico

Verifico is an American based company, which focuses on providing information to consumers about alternative loan programs via an online marketplace. Paris Benson founded the company in 2012, after working as a Wall Street banker.

History
Verifico was founded in Los Angeles and originally provided loan information as a humanitarian project. Paris Benson was the original founder in 2012. The project aimed to help a small group of people in the Los Angeles area with alternative loans and programs who struggled to find the right program for them.

Following its success on a small scale, the company expanded to provide the service nationwide. The company now acts as a vetting and matchmaking service for consumers and financial service providers. These service providers can include loan brokers, tax professionals, credit repair experts, and business brokers. This is done through a system Verifico calls BackOffice, which provides communication platforms and payment systems. In March 2012, the company's CEO Paris Benson featured as part of a CEO under 30 report, stating how Verifico assisted consumers in finding funding for their business in the correct manner.

After the company began to expand nationwide, they featured on KillerStartups. They spoke about the ease in which a consumer can browse the site and easily change the criteria in order to receive differing amounts. Unlike some similar sites, the consumer can speak and communicate with the loan consultant before coming to a decision. Around the same time, the company opened an office in Washington D.C.. In late 2013 the company announced a partnership with BoingOpia, who operate in the credit score industry.

In 2014 at MuckerLab's demo day, the company announced that due to their involvement in financial services, they'd assisted in shutting down more than 40 fraudulent financial companies in 2013. By February of that year, the company secured a small investment from MuckerLab in seed financing. The company featured in The Street in May 2014, where they discussed the difficulties of securing funding for small businesses or startups.

Financial information
The information provided by Verifico is displayed and can be searched for in their online marketplace. Funding criteria is entered on the site, which can include loan amount, credit score and amount of time to receive funding.

The marketplace provides services for both consumers and also businesses.