Charlotte Angel Connection Episode 119: Matt Potere, CEO of Sunlight Financial

Charlotte Angel Connection

Today, we welcome back Matt Potere, CEO of Sunlight Financial, to the podcast. Matt joined us early in the days of the podcast with Episode 20 and Episode 21. Back in these days, Sunlight Financial was growing rapidly and in the process of moving into their new office space as they 'graduated' from the halls of Packard Place. Fortunately, Matt and the rest of his team have continued to see growth over the last couple of years - so much growth they will be going public through a merger with a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) later this year. Given this is our first podcast guest to take his company public, we wanted to sit down with Matt to get an update of what the company has been doing and what it sees ahead. As a quick reminder, Sunlight Financial is co-headquartered in NY and Charlotte. They have recently expanded into home improvement financing and they continue to offer consumer loans for residential solar. They are also expanding to new products, including energy storage and energy efficiency. Sunlight partners with leading solar installers nationwide to help homeowners save money and protect our environment. The company’s front-end tools and back-end credit expertise simplify and streamline home energy lending, enabling Sunlight’s channel partners to provide homeowners with the benefits of system ownership. At the beginning of the podcast we discuss the saturation of the solar market, or lack thereof. In 2020, 3% of homes in the US have solar power. So while Sunlight has surpassed $4 billion in funded loans it translates to about 125,000 homes - meaning they have lots of opportunity ahead of them as a company if they just stayed in the solar installation market. Naturally, we discuss a lot of what it has taken to get the company ready for the next stage, how Matt and his team have worked with their investors to position the company, and the culture they have worked hard to create for a 100 year company. Matt and I discuss some of their challenges during the 2020/2021 Covid pandemic. As we near the end of the podcast, we discuss the Charlotte energy and financial eco-system and what’s happening. It will be great to see what the future holds for Sun Light Financial. William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener. Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance. Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results.