Business Chief USA February 2019
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CITY FOCUS | WASHINGTON, DC<br />
76<br />
SOU SOU — FONTA GILLIAM<br />
One women-led DC startup disrupting the<br />
fintech sector is Sou Sou. Taking its name<br />
from a Caribbean and West African financing<br />
tradition called a sousou - where people regularly<br />
pay into a fund, withdrawing money when<br />
needed - the Washington-based startup was<br />
founded in 2015 by ex-US State Department<br />
program manager, Fonta Gilliam. Her startup<br />
leverages community to build a funding<br />
source, according to a report by the Washington<br />
<strong>Business</strong> Journal.<br />
Gillian says that traditional banking services<br />
“overlook the thousands of prospective loan<br />
applicants because they do not fit into traditional<br />
credit risk profiles. This has created a<br />
deep divide between banks, women, minorities<br />
and low-income communities.”<br />
Fonta Gilliam<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2019</strong>
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