Franchise Update Magazine Issue II, 2017 | Page 70

Supplier Spotlight:
BY KERRY PIPES
GETTING A
PIECE OF THE PIE
ApplePie Capital simplifies franchise funding
A
dizzying array of financing options exists for
franchise operators today. But not all lenders
and capital are equal, so making the right
choice can be complicated. And that, says Denise
Thomas, CEO and co-founder of ApplePie Capital,
is exactly why the franchise-
exclusive lending company
was created in 2014.
“We started with the be-
lief that there was a need for
growth-oriented lending solu-
tions in the franchise industry
and that we could improve the borrowing experience
for franchisees through specialization on franchise
businesses, a consultative approach, and technol-
ogy,” says Thomas.
Denise Thomas
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Before making a single loan, ApplePie’s founders
spent more than a year speaking with franchisors
and industry experts to better understand the needs
and challenges that face franchise entrepreneurs.
The company began lending in January 2015. To
date, ApplePie has pro-
vided more than $65 mil-
lion to franchisees, with
an additional $500 mil-
lion in commitments over
the next few years from
institutional investors and
banks who want to be a part of this asset class. In
April, ApplePie announced the acquisition of Funding
Solutions, a national franchise lending consultancy
that specializes in SBA, conventional, and equip-
ment finance loans, as well as the appointment of
franchise industry veteran Ron Feldman as chief de-
velopment officer. These additions allow ApplePie to
provide new product options, an expanded network
of lending sources, and an extraordinary wealth of
franchise finance expertise for franchisees.
At its core, ApplePie is a growth delivery system
for franchisors. “We unlock value for the franchise
brand by providing not only access to capital for
their franchisees, but also growth planning,” says
Thomas. “We are 100 percent focused on nurtur-
ing the growth of franchisees and giving them a full
range of loan options through a single source, re-
ducing the headaches and inefficiency of working
separately across individual lenders.”
The team at ApplePie has put together a group
of franchise finance experts specializing in various
financial product types to help guide franchisees and
offer a diverse set of choices—and exactly the right
loan for their current stage of growth. Rather than a
typical, transactional experience with a lender, the
ApplePie approach is to partner with franchisees over