What It’s Like to Finance and Support Growth Stage Consumer Startups
Dwight’s team is growing! We’re currently hiring for a Relationship Manager and Senior Accounting Associate. Think you or someone you know might be a fit? Read on, or share this article on what it’s like to work at a leading lender to growth stage businesses in eCommerce, Food & Beverage and SaaS.
Our team is made up of entrepreneurs who are passionate about helping other entrepreneurs. We come from bulge bracket, lending, consulting, and operations; our collective experience gives us perspective on how to make an industry that hasn’t changed much for years better. Together, we’ve created a modern lending platform that supports today’s top brands.
Homebase
Dwight’s office is situated in the heart of NYC, accessible to team members living in and around the city. The energy is always high from the moment you step into our sundrenched office along the Hudson River. Arriving in the morning, we’re greeted by colleagues in the kitchen as they collect their morning cold brew, seltzer or bite from one of our favorite brands.
Our team works closely together – doing so allows us to deliver a standout client experience from start to finish. We regularly collaborate across departments: exchanging by the minute market news, automating processes, sharing benchmarks, and facilitating critical introductions. Dwight’s open floor plan, breakout rooms and common spaces in our office are designed to support those important conversations.
Our Growing Portfolio
It’s always exciting to welcome new challenger brands into our portfolio. Dwight is more selective than other lenders, so businesses emerging from our due diligence process are some of the biggest movers in the space.
Across the board, our teams are constantly being introduced to the rising stars in Consumer and SaaS. Business Development spends much of their time meeting with founders and CFOs of rapidly scaling businesses, as well as investors and advisors specialized in their industry. Underwriting dives deep into the books of these cutting-edge companies that could benefit from partnering with Dwight. Once these companies wrap up due diligence, Relationship Managers on our Portfolio team serve as a thought partner over the course of our multiyear partnership.
No matter the stage of the deal process, our team is laser-focused on providing value to these businesses beyond working capital.
Partnership in Practice
Dwight’s platform is rooted in relationships and industry expertise, and it shows. Clients regularly lean on us for guidance based on our collective experience. Relationship Managers often find themselves offering advice on the best approach for expanding from DTC to wholesale, introductions to investors that would be interested in their Series B, and a practical plan to fund production in anticipation of a big celebrity endorsement or program with a large retailer.
Cultivating meaningful relationships with founders is a key part of being a successful Relationship Manager at Dwight — doing so happens over meals, Zooms, coffee, texts, etc. We make it work because we know steady access to insights and capital can make or break these growth stage businesses.
Working Smart
Dwight is not shy about our talented team. With that in mind, we optimize for thought provoking analysis and conversations, and always avoid doling out mind numbing to dos. To accomplish this, we use the tech — scripts, network graphs, machine learning, or out-of-the-box tools, you name it — to automate processes, as well as serve our people with the data they need to work more effectively and intelligently.
Take our portfolio analysis as an example. Instead of taking time with financial spreads, our team reviews standardized client data against relevant benchmarks. Our Relationship Managers are able to focus on explaining any exceptions based on business specifics, identifying areas to discuss with the founder/CFO, and anticipate any impending challenges based on their fluency in the industry.
Perks on the Job
We value our people, and of course, cover all the basics: medical, dental, HSA, 401k, PTO, etc. Beyond that, we offer an office gym, in-office haircuts and manicures, a chiropractor, regular lunch deliveries, and more. Dwight also covers a commuting stipend and in-office dinners.
Being on the Dwight Funding team makes for busy, fun and intrinsically rewarding days on the job. When you work alongside bright, driven teammates who, like you, are constantly looking for ways to push the envelope, no day in the office feels like work.
If you’ve gotten this far and are interested in joining us, apply today.