Case Study
$3.35MM in Game-Changing Capital
When Traditional Lending Said No, Strategic Partnerships Said Yes
Michael Kodinsky
Founder & CEO
March 27, 2025
March isn't just about March Madness brackets and basketball upsets. In business, it's about momentum—and the teams with the right strategy and trusted partners who advance.
We recently celebrated a client win that perfectly illustrates this principle: a five-year-old, growth-stage medical device manufacturer in Central Florida who came to us with a challenge every banker knows.
They had a banker who believed in them. But the bank's credit box didn't.
So Close, Yet Rejected
A trusted commercial banker in Orlando referred this medical device manufacturer to us with a simple but critical problem: they'd missed traditional financing qualification by a narrow margin. Their debt service coverage ratio (DSCR)—the metric banks use to determine if a company can service its debt—was just slightly below the threshold.
To most lenders, that rejection would be final. The company was outside the box. Move on.
"Growth isn't always linear, and it rarely fits neatly into a box. That's why we build creative capital solutions that meet our clients where they are—and get them where they want to go."
But that banker knew something important: DSCR shortfall doesn't mean the company can't succeed. It means traditional lending isn't the right tool. It means you need a partner who thinks creatively.
When One Solution Becomes Many
Over the next 10 months, we didn't fund one deal. We funded a complete growth strategy for this client. Here's how:
Total Capital: $3.35MM
That's not one deal. That's a partnership. That's a complete capital strategy designed around one client's unique growth journey.
What Happened Next
This client didn't just survive. They thrived. In 2024, they achieved 30%+ year-over-year revenue growth. That's not coincidence. That's what happens when a company has the right capital at the right time, structured in the right way.
More importantly, the banker who referred them? They went from being the person who had to say "no" to being the hero who knew someone who could say "yes." Their relationship with that client deepened. Their credibility as a trusted advisor strengthened. And they became part of a growth story instead of the obstacle to it.
Why This Matters: The Value of Partnership
This isn't just a funding story. It's a partnership story. And it was built on five core values that guide everything we do at Serve Funding—values we call T.R.U.S.T.
Transparency
We communicated clearly about every option, every rate, every term. The client knew exactly what they were getting and why.
Responsibility
We followed through on every commitment—from the first unsecured loan to our personal investment in January. Our word meant something.
Understanding
We listened to their unique challenges: DSCR shortfall, inventory timing, tariff pressures, founder equity constraints. We didn't force them into a standard box.
Service
We prioritized their win—not our commission. We moved fast. We solved problems. We thought creatively.
Thankfulness
We operated with deep gratitude for the banker's trust, the client's partnership, and every opportunity to serve.
These five values aren't just words on a wall. They're why this story happened. They're why the banker picked up the phone. They're why the client trusted us with $3.35MM. They're why we invested our own family funds.
Your Clients Deserve This Too
If you're a banker, advisor, or lender with clients whose situations don't fit conventional boxes, this story is for you. Your clients don't deserve to be rejected based on one metric. They deserve partners who think creatively, move fast, and believe in their potential.
That's what Serve Funding is here for. We don't compete with banks. We partner with them. We don't replace your relationships—we deepen them. And we prove that when a banker says "I know someone," they become the hero in their client's growth story.
Let's create more moments like this together.
