Omer Cohen Joins SmartBiz Loans as Chief People Officer

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SmartBiz Loans®, the leading online bank network for SBA (Small Business Administration) loans, announced the expansion of its senior leadership team with the addition of Omer Cohen as Chief People Officer (CPO).

Omer Cohen, a seasoned CPO and Leadership Consultant, will focus on organizational and leadership development and foster the mission-driven culture as SmartBiz Loans continues to transform small business financing. SmartBiz Loans is a remote first company with regional offices currently in Austin and San Francisco.

“Omer is joining SmartBiz® during an exciting time of growth and product innovation,” says Evan Singer, CEO SmartBiz Loans. “Omer is a vital addition to our executive leadership, who will help guide the development of our team, culture, and organizational effectiveness as we pursue our ambitious growth strategy."

Cohen confirms, “The SmartBiz mission is super compelling, and every employee is genuinely committed to exemplifying that mission and doing impactful work. I'm really looking forward to being part of such a driven team, pursuing the market opportunity in front of us, and continuing to nurture and develop what is already a very special, employee and customer-focused culture.”

Cohen brings 25+ years of management and operating experience to SmartBiz, from companies like Eventbrite, Lytro, The Great Place to Work Institute, and Deloitte Consulting, and has supported over 30 companies as a leadership and organizational development consultant. He graduated from Brown University and holds an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

ABOUT SMARTBIZ LOANS

SmartBiz Loans is the #1 online platform for traditional SBA 7(a) loans under $350,000 helping banks in its network streamline the small business lending process. SmartBiz helped banks on the platform process more than $9 billion in PPP, SBA 7(a), and bank term loans serving over 230,000 small businesses. Over 60% of these loans were made to minority, women, or veteran owned businesses. Banks in the SmartBiz network used the platform to originate nearly 10% of the total U.S. market for traditional sub $350,000 SBA 7(a) loans during FY 2020.*

SmartBiz Loans is headquartered in San Francisco and was founded in 2009 by a team of experienced financial services entrepreneurs with backing from leading venture capital firms including Venrock, Investor Growth Capital, First Round Capital, Baseline Ventures, and Uncork Capital. Learn more at www.smartbizloans.com.

^{*Based on SBA weekly Approvals Data as of 9/30/20 and internal SmartBiz Management Reports.}