Slope

Slope operates as a business-to-business (B2B) payments platform, offering order-to-cash automation for enterprise companies. Founded in 2021 by CEO Lawrence Lin Murata and CPO Alice Deng, the San Francisco-based company aims to modernize the B2B economy. The inspiration for Slope stemmed from Murata's experience with his family's wholesale business in Brazil, where he observed firsthand the manual and offline nature of B2B transactions. This, combined with the acceleration of online B2B payments during the pandemic, led Murata and Deng to create a platform that brings a more streamlined, consumer-grade experience to business transactions.

Both founders are second-time Y Combinator participants. Murata, a Stanford University graduate, previously founded Newton Technologies, an AI company that was later acquired. Deng, a UC Berkeley graduate and a Forbes 30 Under 30 lister, co-founded Glisten AI, which used computer vision and NLP for e-commerce, and previously worked as a product manager at Dropbox. The duo, who met at a hackathon in 2016, reconnected in late 2020 and developed Slope, which participated in the Y Combinator Summer 2021 batch.

Slope's core offering is a "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) solution for B2B transactions. The platform provides merchants with the ability to offer flexible payment terms, such as installments, to their business customers at checkout. Slope manages the entire process, including the lending, instantaneous underwriting, and debt collection, while paying the merchant immediately after the goods or services are shipped. This model helps merchants increase their average order value and conversion rates while mitigating the risks associated with offering credit. Revenue is generated from a merchant fee on transactions.

The platform leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning for its risk assessment and underwriting processes, analyzing real-time cash flow data to make instant credit decisions. This technology allows for a quick and automated application experience for business buyers. In addition to BNPL, Slope has expanded its product suite to include "Pay Now" for immediate payments and a comprehensive order-to-cash workflow automation that includes checkout, risk assessment for customers and vendors, and payment reconciliation. The company recently launched SlopeAI, making its AI-powered underwriting and risk models available to financial institutions and wholesalers.

The company has secured significant funding from notable investors including J.P. Morgan, Y Combinator, Union Square Ventures, and Sam Altman. This capital is being used to scale operations and further develop its technology. Slope has also entered into a strategic partnership with J.P. Morgan Payments, joining its Partner Network to provide short-term financing solutions to a broader range of enterprise clients.

Keywords: B2B payments, buy now pay later, BNPL for business, order-to-cash automation, financial technology, fintech, accounts receivable automation, trade credit, business financing, online payments, payment processing, underwriting, risk management, credit assessment, e-commerce financing, working capital solutions, invoice financing, payment reconciliation, AI in finance, Lawrence Lin Murata, Alice Deng