Kafene
New York, US · Founded 2019 · Delaware corporation · 4 known investors
Find your way into Kafene
471 people in our graph share verified history with the Kafene team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
David Hartwigunlockedknows Neal Desai · together at Princeton University (overlapped)
×6knows the team · via Princeton University
×4knows the team · via The Wharton School
knows the team · via Susquehanna International Group
Kafene provides lease-to-own financing at the point of sale, using an application process based on 20,000+ data points to approve customers regardless of credit history. It serves merchants and their retail customers, offering leases up to $5,000 with point-of-sale integration and flexible payment plans.
Founders & leadership
Kafene was founded in 2019 by Neal Desai and James Schuler.
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Neal DesaiinCo-founderNeal Desai worked as a trader and portfolio manager in capital markets for over 15 years, with expertise in fixed income and derivatives, and later served as CFO of an asset-backed consumer lender before co-founding Kafene, a lease-to-own financing platform.
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James SchulerinCo-founderJames Schuler co-founded Eligible API, which provides health insurance eligibility checking across U.S. insurance providers. He is now co-founder of Kafene, which offers lease-to-own financing at point of sale using alternative credit assessment.30 Under 30 2024
Board
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Investors · 4
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$42.1M disclosed across 3 rounds · 2021–2023
▶$12.7MraisedAug 2023 · 6 investors · RetailingRule 506(b)
▶$12.7MraisedAug 2023 · 6 investors · Retailing
Rule 506(b)Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
- Neal DesaiExecutive Officer, Director
- Keith HamlinDirector
- Wesley BartonDirector
- Offering amount
- $17.5M
- Amount sold
- $12.7M
- First sale
- Jun 2023
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2019
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$14.4MraisedMay 2022 · 12 investors · RetailingRule 506(b)
▶$14.4MraisedMay 2022 · 12 investors · Retailing
Rule 506(b)Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
- Wesley BartonDirector
- Neal DesaiExecutive Officer, Director
- Keith HamlinDirector
- Offering amount
- $25M
- Amount sold
- $14.4M
- First sale
- May 2022
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2019
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$15MraisedJan 2022 · 24 investors · RetailingRule 506(b)
▶$15MraisedJan 2022 · 24 investors · Retailing
Rule 506(b)Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
- Keith HamlinDirector
- Neal DesaiExecutive Officer, Director
- Wesley BartonDirector
- Offering amount
- $15M
- Amount sold
- $15M
- First sale
- Oct 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2019
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Competitors · 5
by search overlap
Koalafi51 shared keywordsKoalafi provides point-of-sale financing for merchants, offering Lease-to-Own and lending solutions (with loans issued by The Bank of Missouri) so retailers can extend pay-over-time options to non-prime consumers. It handles consumer credit risk, pays merchants after delivery, and offers approval amounts up to $7,500 in the U.S.
Snap Finance49 shared keywordsSnap Finance offers consumer point-of-sale financing, including lease-to-own agreements, installment loans, and retail installment contracts, for shoppers buying items like tires, furniture, mattresses, appliances, and electronics. It uses alternative creditworthiness assessment beyond FICO scores and partners with over 100,000 retail stores across the US, serving more than 5 million customers.
Ashleyfurniture49 shared keywordsAshley Furniture is a home furnishings retailer selling furniture and decor across categories including living room, bedroom, kitchen and dining, home office, outdoor, mattresses, rugs, and kids' furniture. It sells online and through over 1,000 physical stores, positioning itself as a furniture home store in North America.
Katapult42 shared keywordsKatapult offers a lease-to-own financing platform that lets consumers apply online and shop at over 200 retailers for furniture, electronics, appliances, and similar goods, making payments over time. It provides fast approval decisions without a traditional credit check as an alternative to conventional credit.
Wayfair41 shared keywordsWayfair offers a product specialist service where technical experts provide specialized product knowledge and personalized recommendations to help shoppers make informed purchasing decisions.
Companies competing with Kafene for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureKafeneDelaware
In the news
Frequently asked questions
- What does Kafene do?
- Kafene provides lease-to-own financing at the point of sale, using an application process based on 20,000+ data points to approve customers regardless of credit history. It serves merchants and their retail customers, offering leases up to $5,000 with point-of-sale integration and flexible payment plans.
- Who founded Kafene?
- Kafene was founded by Neal Desai, James Schuler in 2019.
- Who are Kafene's investors?
- Kafene's investors include Flucas Ventures, Third Prime, Upper90, Trinity Capital.
- How much funding has Kafene raised?
- Kafene has disclosed $42.1M raised across 3 rounds.
- Where is Kafene headquartered?
- Kafene is headquartered in New York, US.