It may not be the world's oldest profession; lenders have been factoring - allowing customers to borrow against the value of their invoices - since Roman times, and perhaps even longer. But it wasn't until Anil Stocker and his cofounders came along that the industry was given a technological twist. Since creating the company in 2011, Market Finance (which until recently was known as Market Invoice) has lent more than £3 billion to small and medium-sized businesses - money that would have helped some of these SMEs to survive, and many more to thrive. What's this got to do with garden furniture? Have a listen, as it's one of the craziest stories you'll ever hear in fintech. Enjoy.
