Business financing solutions encompass a diverse range of strategies and mechanisms designed to help businesses and organisations acquire the capital necessary for various financial endeavours. These solutions operate on the fundamental principle of providing access to capital through various instruments, including loans, credit, and investment vehicles.
Currently, financial institutions, including banks and credit unions, are key players in providing traditional financing solutions. However, the landscape has evolved with the emergence of alternative financing options, such as crowdfunding platforms and peer-to-peer lending, offering additional avenues for securing capital.
Businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), have long struggled with funding shortages due to information asymmetry, lack of collateral, and high interest and other transactional costs. Specifically, according to the World Bank, about 40% of micro and SME companies had unmet financial needs amounting to $5.2 trillion annually with companies in the East Asia and Pacific making up the greatest proportion (46%) of the total global funding gap.
Noticing the gap in the market, GB Helios was founded in 2015 as a member of the Goldbell Group to offer financial solutions to businesses, especially SMEs, in Singapore. In response to the dynamic market landscape, the company was recently rebranded as GB Helios in August 2023, reflecting its commitment to evolution and innovation.
GB Helios envisions itself as an Accelerator, driving partners towards seizing new market opportunities, a Game-changer pioneering innovative solutions, and an Enterpriser strategically championing growth through intelligent financing. Today, in collaboration with Venture Builds – Polaris, GB NXT, and Pilon, GB Helios stands at the forefront of financial ingenuity as an institution that invests, finances, co-builds, and accelerates local businesses.
GB Helios’ comprehensive range of tailored and innovative financial products and services
Firstly, GB Helios’s tailored financing solutions wield transformative power, especially for SMEs facing challenges in securing credit. GB Helios, having originated as an SME itself, empathises with the struggles that small businesses encounter. The company’s commitment to innovation has resulted in a comprehensive suite of financial solutions. This flexibility allows the team to customise offerings to address diverse business needs and foster partnerships that contribute to shared growth.
“We started from an SME, therefore we can understand the difficulties SMEs face when trying to secure a credit line. This is why we try our best to help SMEs, and our team is always thinking out of the box to help them,” shared Alex Chua, Founder of GB Helios.
Rooted in a belief in relationship-building, GB Helios takes pride in understanding the ever-changing market and customer needs. The company’s comprehensive financial suite, combined with an agile and flexible approach, aims to empower startups and SMEs, a commitment best exemplified by their venture build, Polaris.
Also read: Fostering sustainability through education
“Our venture build, Polaris, was set up to provide tailored solutions to the new economy businesses which may face difficulties in securing credit lines due to different business models resulting in the lack of the necessary data required for traditional financing,” shared Tan Chun Hao, Head of Sales & Strategic Partnerships.
Secondly, another strategic financial solution provided by GB Helios is embedded financing, which has emerged as a game-changer, offering a seamless one-stop solution where customers can obtain financing alongside their purchases. “Imagine when your customer purchases from you, and besides purchasing what he requires, he is also able to get the necessary financing for the purchase at the same time. Embedded financing provides the convenience of a one-stop service to your customers, and this in turn builds loyalty and returning customers,” Tan elaborated.
GB Helios envisions this approach not just as a transactional service but as a means to build customer loyalty and encourage repeat business. In a business-to-business scenario, through embedded financing, GB Helios is able to offer simplified financing to businesses of all scales through their partners such as Oddle. Back in 2020, when a famous second-generation Hokkien Mee stall was looking to take up another hawker space for expansion, and needed extra funds for the deposit and renovation. They approached various financial institutions but were rejected due to the complexity of their business structure. When they heard of GB Helios (Polaris) through its partner, Oddle, they decided to give it a try and were surprised when they were granted a loan based on their average monthly sales. Today, they have continued to take up funding to cater for higher demand during festive periods, after their expansion. This in turn, helped Oddle to foster loyalty and encouragement to stay with their platform.
Thirdly, GB Helios also offers venture debt, a strategic capital solution, that distinguishes itself from traditional equity funding where shares are issued. With venture debt, startups can secure capital without diluting ownership, facilitating strategic growth by providing capital through an agreement for principal repayment with interest.
Various SMEs and startups have been empowered by GB Helios’s venture debt programs. For example, Circular’s success story exemplifies how GB Helios’ Venture Debt supported a business model at the forefront of the circular economy transition. The tailored approach, including a working capital revolver and asset leasing facility, demonstrated GB Helios’ understanding of the client’s unique business model and commitment to propelling startups to success. Consequently, Circular enthusiastically recommends GB Helios as a supportive partner in their business journey.
Nick Ramsay, CEO & Founder of Circular, said, “Consumer Electronics subscriptions is a new business model at the forefront of the circular economy transition. As such, finding partners to work with is not easy. GB Helios (Polaris) had the right entrepreneurial mindset to understand the potential of what we are building. They were able to tailor their products to better support our unique business model. We have used both a working capital revolver facility as well as an asset leasing facility. GB Helios (Polaris) really took the time to understand our business model and how they can best support us.”
Success stories with GB Helios
GB Helios emphasises the importance of partnership and growth, showcased through success stories such as the one with KILATS, an emerging startup in the field of green mobility.
Founded in 2021 by passionate motorcycle riders who shared a common environmental consciousness, KILATS aimed to revolutionise the motorcycle fleet industry by providing an end-to-end solution for a seamless transition to electric mobility. One of the key challenges faced by KILATS in its early days was securing funding and credit to fuel its ambitious vision. However, GB Helios, deeply entrenched in fleet mobility as part of the GoldBell Group in Singapore, quickly grasped the potential of KILATS. Hence, GB Helios provided KILATS with a revolving line of credit that effectively bridged the funding gap between suppliers and customers.
The flexibility of this financial arrangement allowed KILATS to draw on credit during critical times, ensuring smooth operations and growth. “We certainly recommend GB HELIOS to our peers as we can see the relationship with GB HELIOS is not only financial but there are a multitude of synergistic opportunities within the GoldBell Group and its network,” shared KILATS.
Also read: Exploring emerging tech at the Future Stage in Echelon X
Other clients that have gained invaluable support from GB Helios include Ritual Gym and MoneySmart, both of whom shared glowing opinions about GB Helios for its timely support of their financial needs.
“Working with GB Helios has been extremely pleasant and easy. It was impossible to have a conversation with the banks about our business needs and how they could help us. This is something that we appreciated being able to do with GB Helios and what we valued most. We were struggling with cash flow post-COVID, and GB Helios helped us out of a tight spot. I would definitely recommend them to friends,” shared Sharma Das, COO of Ritual Gym. Meanwhile, Vinod Nair, CEO of MoneySmart expressed, “GB Helios (Polaris) was accommodating in providing MoneySmart with a flexible solution for our unique situation. They made certain that our concerns were taken care of in a professional and orderly manner.”
GB Helios’s strategic networks and plans
GB Helios, positioned at the intersection of innovation and strategic collaboration, boasts a comprehensive network within the logistics sector in Singapore as a proud member of the Goldbell Group.
The company aligns its vision with government bodies, notably Enterprise Singapore, forging collaborative partnerships that contribute to the broader economic ecosystem. Beyond national borders, GB Helios has strategically established networks in Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Thailand, showcasing a commitment to regional growth and market penetration.
Also read: The first 27 key innovation leaders who will speak at Echelon X
Looking towards the future, GB Helios is set to embark on new ventures and initiatives, including the recent launch of KRONOS, a digital supply chain platform, which signifies a leap into digital transformation, enabling suppliers to seamlessly apply for financing online. Furthermore, GB Helios recently launched AutoMate — a free-to-use online platform for automotive dealers.
AutoMate is designed to help automotive dealers simplify their work processes through digitalisation and automation. With AutoMate, dealers can apply for car loans, car insurance, auctions, and floor stock financing with a click, on a single platform.
To explore the transformative potential of GB Helios’ tailored financing solutions and strategic connections, please visit the website here.
– –
This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by GB Helios
We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.
The post GB Helios: Empowering SMEs with tailored and innovative financial solutions appeared first on e27.