CNote is a technology company.
CNote has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at CNote.
CNote has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
CNote is a women-led fintech platform founded in 2016 that connects investors and corporations with community development financial institutions (CDFIs), low-income designated (LID) credit unions, and minority deposit institutions (MDIs) to drive economic mobility, financial inclusion, and wealth gap closure.[1][2][3] Its mission centers on channeling capital into underserved communities—funding small businesses owned by women and people of color, affordable housing, and economic development—while delivering competitive financial returns through products like Impact Cash® (cash management), Climate Cash™, Flagship Fund, and Wisdom Fund (fixed-income investments).[1][2][4] CNote serves corporate treasury teams, institutions, and retail investors seeking to align ESG goals with performance, offering customized portfolios by region or impact theme (e.g., Black-led CDFIs or low-income women entrepreneurs) and quarterly quantitative impact reports.[1][4][5]
As a Certified B-Corporation and GIIRS-rated firm based in Oakland, California, CNote emphasizes a community-first framework, enabling treasury leaders to deploy high-dollar deposits scalably without added risk, supported by proprietary underwriting technology.[1][2][3]
CNote was co-founded in 2016 by Catherine "Cat" Berman (CEO) and Yuliya Tarasava (COO), both seasoned financial executives frustrated by products that widened wealth gaps rather than closing them.[1][2][3] Berman, a three-time entrepreneur and former Managing Director at Charles Schwab, specialized in innovative financial products; Tarasava, a structured finance expert, co-led a $10 billion risk management function and worked in international development.[3] The idea emerged from recognizing CDFIs' strong fundamentals in delivering outcomes like affordable housing and entrepreneur support, yet their inaccessibility to large-scale investors due to outdated processes.[1][3]
Early traction came from applying institutional-grade discipline and technology to this $5T community finance market, earning accolades like SXSW's "Top Innovation in Fintech" in 2017 and CB Insights' "most ground-breaking startup."[2] The firm evolved from connecting capital to CDFIs into a full platform with cash management and loan funds, scaling impact while maintaining rigorous risk management.[1][4]
CNote rides the surge in ESG and impact investing, where treasury teams face mandates for diversity, equity, inclusion, and community support amid $5T in overlooked community finance.[1][3] Timing aligns with post-2020 demands for authentic racial wealth gap closure and climate adaptation, amplified by corporate pressures for data-backed impact over performative initiatives.[1][2] Market forces like low-interest environments and fintech disruption favor its model, scaling capital to CDFIs/MDIs that fund underserved areas—e.g., women-led ventures, affordable housing—influencing the ecosystem by innovating underwriting, boosting credit union deposits, and proving tech can blend returns with equity.[2][4][5]
CNote is poised to expand as impact investing matures, potentially deepening retail access, AI-enhanced underwriting, and climate-themed products amid rising regulatory ESG scrutiny and trillion-dollar sustainable finance flows.[1][2][4] Trends like corporate deposit growth via partnerships (e.g., CUNA) and Gen Z's values-driven investing will shape its trajectory, evolving influence from niche fintech to ecosystem scaler for inclusive capital markets.[3][5] This women-led platform, redefining treasury as a force for mobility, ties directly to its founding vision: technology unlocking proven community investments for a more equal economy.[1][3]
CNote has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
CNote's investors include Harmonix Fund, H/L Ventures, william schneiderman.
Key people at CNote.
CNote has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Series A in September 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2022 | $7.0M Series A | Harmonix Fund, H/L Ventures, william schneiderman |
