Victory Park Capital provides $100 million credit facility and $3 million preferred equity to Cognical, Inc.
Press Release
Dec 15, 2016
Cognical, Inc. to accelerate expansion of Zibby, its consumer lease product, to help retailers serve nonprime consumers at the Point of Sale (POS), online and in-store
CHICAGO and NEW YORK – December 15, 2016 – Victory Park Capital (VPC), an investment firm focused on private middle market debt and equity investments, announced today it has provided a $100 million senior secured credit facility to Cognical, Inc. (d/b/a Zibby), to expand its omnichannel lease-to-own payment platform for in-store and online shopping. The credit facility, along with the accompanying equity investment, will help the company grow and scale its lease portfolio, providing underbanked consumers with an affordable alternative for acquiring durable consumer goods such as furniture, appliances and electronics.
“Zibby has identified an underserved lease-to-own financing niche within the non-bank financial services landscape and has developed the underwriting and risk analytics to capitalize on it,” said Gordon Watson, partner at VPC. “Zibby attempts to empower underbanked consumers with limited credit profiles by providing a payment option for acquiring household necessities that they otherwise could not afford.”
Based in New York, Zibby already offers its payment solution online and in-store across 46 states and is expanding its presence among retailers in the United States. “We are looking forward to a long partnership with VPC and highly value the team’s knowledge and track record within the specialty finance sector,” said Brandon Wright, CEO of Zibby. “Their investment will provide Zibby with the debt capital necessary to dramatically expand our retailer footprint and help those retailers support this huge, underserved customer base.”
About Victory Park Capital
Victory Park Capital Advisors, LLC (“VPC”) is a privately held, SEC-registered, global alternative investment firm. VPC provides opportunistic capital solutions to both emerging and established businesses with an expertise investing across various sectors where traditional sources of capital are limited. The firm’s differentiated offerings leverage an extensive network of industry relationships, disciplined deal origination, creative financing capabilities and broad credit structuring and special situations expertise. The firm was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.victoryparkcapital.com.
About Zibby
Zibby is a consumer leasing platform for online, brick and mortar and omnichannel retailers. Customers can apply in 30 seconds in-store or via the Zibby button on a retailer’s website and be approved for $300 to $3,500. Zibby increases retailer sales by providing a fast and easy lease payment option for nonprime consumers seeking to acquire furniture, appliances, electronics, and other consumer durables. Zibby was founded at Cornell University and is based in New York City. For more information, visit zibby.com or contact Zac Prince at zac@zibby.com for business development opportunities.