Root Capital
Solution Stack
Salesforce + nCino
Business Units
Lending, Treasury, Accounting
Services
Advisory, Implementation
Timeline
16 weeks
Simplifying FX and Syndicated Loan Management
Root Capital is a nonprofit impact investment fund serving agricultural enterprises across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Known for financing the “missing middle,” Root Capital provides loans, training, and financial management tools to small and growing businesses that connect farmers to global markets. By blending modern financial tools with mission-driven partnerships, Root Capital helps strengthen rural prosperity, support climate resilience, and empower farming communities worldwide.
Problem
Root Capital was expanding its global lending footprint, but behind the scenes, the work was getting harder. Each new loan—especially those involving multiple parties or cross-border currencies—meant another maze of Excel sheets, disconnected systems, and manual checks. The finance team knew that these workarounds weren’t just slowing them down; they carried real risks.
Foreign currency loans were cumbersome to service, syndicated facilities were nearly impossible to manage at scale, and the margin for error was thin. Demand for lending was rising, but the team faced an impossible choice: take on more borrowers and risk mistakes, or hold back growth.
Process
Rather than patching together more stopgaps, Root Capital partnered with Fortimize to redesign how lending was managed.
Together, they built an integrated Salesforce and nCino platform that pulled the full loan lifecycle—terms, disbursements, payments, and interest—into one central system. This new foundation connected directly to Root Capital’s banking and accounting tools, so foreign exchange and cross-border workflows could be managed with precision instead of patches. For the operations team, this meant no more scrambling through spreadsheets or duplicating effort. For technology stakeholders, it meant an architecture built to handle complexity rather than collapse under it.
Results
The impact was immediate. Foreign currency loans took half the time it once did. A complex syndicated facility involving five borrowers and more than twenty external parties was managed successfully—something that would have taken twice as long and created twice as much risk with their old system.
Executive Outcomes | Operational Impact | Technical Shift |
|---|---|---|
Reduced Service Time | Centralized Tracking | Optimized environment |
Faster Growth | Eliminated Errors | Multi-currency workflows |
Impact on Customers
For Root Capital’s borrowers, the new Salesforce + nCino system meant faster access to funds, fewer delays, and greater confidence in complex financing deals.
By eliminating manual errors and streamlining multi-currency transactions, small and growing businesses could receive the capital they needed more quickly—helping them invest in growth, pay farmers on time, and strengthen their communities.
