Publications

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22 Sep 2014
Op-Ed

Online Banks Fill Funding Needs for Small Business

always been alternative forms of loan capital available, including credit unions, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), merchant cash advances, equipment leasing and factoring products. “Alternative players have the... View Details

Keywords: by Karen Mills; Banking; Financial Services

1998
Chapter

Small Business and Economic Growth

By: R. M. Kanter

Keywords: Business Ventures; Economic Growth

2024
Book

Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream: How Technology Is Transforming Lending and Shaping a New Era of Small Business Opportunity

By: Karen G. Mills

The second edition of Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream, builds on the groundbreaking 2019 book with new insights on how technology and artificial intelligence are transforming small business lending. This ambitious view covers the significance of... View Details

Keywords: Fintech; AI; AI and Machine Learning; Small Business; Economy; Technology Adoption; Credit; Financing and Loans; Analytics and Data Science

07 Sep 2020
Research & Ideas

How to Help Small Businesses Survive COVID's Next Phase

government: Aid that’s easier to access The US government also needs to do its part and extend aid efforts, Mills says. The Paycheck Protection Program allocated $659 billion in forgivable loans to small... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Food & Beverage; Service

2015
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: John Dubinsky and the St. Louis Contractor Loan Fund

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter and Ai-Ling Jamila Malone

In May 2015 prominent leaders in St. Louis were celebrating the launch of the Contractor Loan Fund (CLF), a $10 million revolving loan fund meant to help area minority and women-owned construction contractors grow their businesses. John Dubinsky, the leader behind the... View Details

Keywords: Minority-owned Businesses; Women-owned Businesses; Financing and Loans; Growth and Development; Leadership; Construction Industry; Banking Industry

January 2001 (Revised August 2003)
Case

Student Educational Loan Fund, Inc. (Abridged)

By: Peter Tufano

Rick Melnick oversees the Student Educational Loan Fund (SELF), which provides loans to Harvard Business School students. SELF is changing the terms of student loans from variable-rate with semiannual payments to fixed-rate loans with equal monthly payments. Melnick... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Financing and Loans; Business Education; Interest Rates; Education Industry; Boston

Research Summary

Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream: How Technology Is Transforming Lending and Shaping a New Era of Small Business Opportunity

By: Karen Mills

Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream describes the needs of small businesses for capital and demonstrates how technology—novel data sources, artificial intelligence, machine learning—will transform the small business lending market. This market has been... View Details

March 2022 (Revised January 2023)
Case

Clara Wu Tsai and Brooklyn Loan Innovation

By: Archie L. Jones, Jeffrey J. Bussgang and Henry McGee

Philanthropist Clara Wu Tsai is committed to racial equity and investing in Brooklyn-based minority business owners. In the wake of the George Floyd murder, she decides to create a new initiative called the Social Justice Fund and commit an initial $50 million over 10... View Details

Keywords: Minority-owned Businesses; Racial Equity; Entrepreneurship; Race; Values and Beliefs; Small Business; Partners and Partnerships; Social Issues; Investment; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Decision Making; Brooklyn

24 Jun 2008
Working Paper Summaries

Bank Structure and the Terms of Lending to Small Businesses

Keywords: by Rodrigo Canales & Ramana Nanda; Banking

2013
Government Testimony

American Competitiveness Worldwide: Impacts on Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs

By: Michael E. Porter

The Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access held a hearing titled, "American Competitiveness Worldwide: Impacts on Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs." Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter spoke at the hearing,... View Details

Keywords: Economic Development; Competitiveness; United States

2022
Article

How AI Could Help Small Businesses

By: Karen G. Mills

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April 2022
Case

Melio: Modernizing Payments for Small Business

By: David S. Scharfstein, Dean Xu and Danielle Golan

2016
Working Paper

Patent Trolls and Small Business Employment

By: Joan Farre-Mensa, Ian Appel and Elena Simintzi

SSRN

14 Dec 2016
Working Paper Summaries

The State of Small Business Lending: Innovation and Technology and the Implications for Regulation

Keywords: by Karen Gordon Mills and Brayden McCarthy; Financial Services

11 Feb 2015
Research & Ideas

Politicians Benefited From Using Toxic Loans

opting for the short-term benefits in spite of the risks?” "There is no doubt the transactions were very risky, as interest rates on these loans frequently exceeded 20 percent," says Boris Vallée, an assistant professor in the Finance... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Financial Services

May 2010
Article

Loan Syndication and Credit Cycles

By: Victoria Ivashina and David Scharfstein

Cyclicality in the supply of business credit has been the focus of a considerable amount of research. This cyclicality can stem from shocks to borrowers' collateral, which affect firms' ability to raise capital if agency and information problems are significant (Ben S.... View Details

Keywords: Business Cycles; Capital; Credit; Banks and Banking; Financing and Loans; System Shocks; Financial Services Industry

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November 1997 (Revised October 2001)
Background Note

A Note on Government Sources of Financing for Small Businesses

By: Paul A. Gompers and Catherine M. Conneely

Discusses issues related to government sources of financing for small business in the United States. In addition to presenting motivations for government financing programs, the note gives a detailed presentation of major federal programs to assist small business. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Finance; Business and Government Relations