Fintech firm Newity raises $11 million to bring small business loans onchain

Newity, a fintech firm focused on facilitating small business loans, has raised $11 million in a strategic funding round as it explores bringing those loans onchain.

CMT Digital, a division of trading and investment firm CMT Group, led the round, Newity said Thursday. Additional participants included private and institutional investors, Newity co-founder and co-CEO David Cody told The Block, but he declined to disclose their names.

Cody said the round marks Newity’s first fundraise, which began at the end of 2024 and closed in December 2025. The round was structured as a simple agreement for future equity (SAFE), he said, declining to disclose Newity’s valuation or whether any investors received board or advisory seats.

Newity was founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic by Cody and co-CEO Luke LaHaie to help small businesses navigate funding challenges during the Paycheck Protection Program, a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan initiative launched to support businesses during the crisis. After the program ended in May 2021, Newity shifted its focus to SBA 7(a) government-backed loans and growth term loans.

Newity itself is not an SBA lender. Instead, it acts as a lending service provider to participating SBA lenders, including Northeast Bank, which ultimately originate and approve the loans. Cody declined to name other lenders Newity works with.

Since launch, Newity said it has processed and serviced more than $12 billion in financing for over 125,000 small businesses. Cody said the average loan size is approximately $118,800 life-to-date, with a maximum loan size of $350,000.

Asked how using Newity differs from applying directly through an SBA lender, Cody said borrowers working directly with lenders must follow each lender’s process and timeline, which can vary significantly. “Some lenders have adopted technology; others still rely heavily on paper,” he said.

Newity, by contrast, offers a fully online application process, automated documentation workflows, and a dedicated team to move applications forward. Borrowers can receive funding in as little as three weeks through Newity, compared with traditional timelines that can exceed 12 weeks, he added.

Cody said Newity’s “AI-first underwriting platform” analyzes hundreds of data points — including credit checks, identity verification, and tax document summaries — to determine eligibility and streamline the application process. “This allows borrowers to receive a prequalified loan amount in less than 10 minutes and funding in as little as 21 days, rather than waiting 12+ weeks,” he said.

Newity generates revenue through loan-processing fees. On its crypto strategy, Cody said the firm is exploring various options to take loans onchain and expects to announce its path in the first quarter.

“We’re not improving small business lending, we’re reinventing the financial infrastructure that connects entrepreneurs to capital,” LaHaie said. “AI and blockchain give us the infrastructure to empower our team to operate at the scale that this market demands.”

Newity said small businesses represent 99.9% of U.S. firms and employ nearly half the nation’s workforce, yet face a $350 billion annual funding shortfall — a gap the company aims to address.

Newity is headquartered in Chicago and has about 115 employees, most of whom work from the office, with some remote staff, Cody said. The firm is actively hiring across partner, marketing, and technology roles, he added.

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