Key Takeaways
- • Funding Circle has appointed Rob Straathof, current CEO of Grover and former CEO of Liberis, as its next chief executive, succeeding Lisa Jacobs who announced her departure in September.
- • Straathof will join Funding Circle in the first half of 2027, while Jacobs continues to lead the business until she departs no later than September 2027.
- • Straathof spent nearly a decade leading Liberis, scaling it into a global embedded finance platform that has provided more than $4bn in funding to over 100,000 small businesses.
- • Since 2010, Funding Circle has extended more than £18bn in credit to over 135,000 UK businesses through its SME finance platform.
Summary
UK small business lender Funding Circle has appointed Rob Straathof as its next chief executive, according to the company's announcement as reported by Alternative Credit Investor. Straathof succeeds Lisa Jacobs, who announced in September that she was stepping down from the role. He is currently chief executive of Grover, a European technology subscription platform based in Germany, and will join Funding Circle in the first half of 2027. Jacobs will continue to lead the business in the interim, departing no later than September 2027.
Straathof's prior experience centers on small business finance. He spent nearly a decade as chief executive of Liberis, where he led the growth of the business from a UK small business lender with a single partner into a global embedded finance platform. Liberis has provided more than $4bn in funding to over 100,000 small businesses during that period.
Funding Circle chair Ken Stannard said Straathof brings a deep understanding of small businesses, strong credit expertise and a proven track record of leading fintech businesses, particularly his decade scaling Liberis into a multi-product platform. Straathof said the opportunity ahead remains outsized, pointing to the use of technology and data to extend finance to more of the UK's small business owners, and said he looked forward to delivering on the strategy already in place.
Funding Circle has extended more than £18bn in credit to over 135,000 UK businesses since 2010 through its SME finance platform. The company's recent activity includes a £500m commitment from Castlelake for UK SMEs and an extended Bayview partnership that has taken lending above £1bn.
Straathof's prior experience centers on small business finance. He spent nearly a decade as chief executive of Liberis, where he led the growth of the business from a UK small business lender with a single partner into a global embedded finance platform. Liberis has provided more than $4bn in funding to over 100,000 small businesses during that period.
Funding Circle chair Ken Stannard said Straathof brings a deep understanding of small businesses, strong credit expertise and a proven track record of leading fintech businesses, particularly his decade scaling Liberis into a multi-product platform. Straathof said the opportunity ahead remains outsized, pointing to the use of technology and data to extend finance to more of the UK's small business owners, and said he looked forward to delivering on the strategy already in place.
Funding Circle has extended more than £18bn in credit to over 135,000 UK businesses since 2010 through its SME finance platform. The company's recent activity includes a £500m commitment from Castlelake for UK SMEs and an extended Bayview partnership that has taken lending above £1bn.
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