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Marlette Funding LLC
Marlette Funding LLC, the family office behind Best Egg, has originated over $10B in consumer loans since 2014, led by Bill Kelvie.
Marlette Funding LLC
Marlette Funding LLC was founded in 2014 by Bill Kelvie, who previously served as Senior Vice President at Fannie Mae and contributed to the development of automated underwriting systems. The firm operates the Best Egg consumer lending platform, which originates unsecured personal loans primarily for debt consolidation and home improvement. Kelvie's family office structure directs capital into this FinTech lending arm. The company's strategy centers on data-driven credit underwriting, leveraging alternative data sources to assess borrower risk beyond traditional FICO scores. Asset classes include consumer loans, private credit, and structured finance, with deployment through its own origination platform and partnership with banks and institutional investors. Geographic focus is the United States, with loan origination concentrated in states where the platform is licensed. Marlette Funding has originated over $10 billion in loans since inception (Best Egg press release, 2021) and maintains a partnership with Cross River Bank for loan facilitation. In February 2023, the firm appointed Chris Rafuls as CFO (per public record, 2023). The structural differentiator is Marlette's vertical integration: unlike many family offices that allocate to external lenders, it both originates and holds credit risk on its own balance sheet, using proprietary technology. This model gives the family direct control over underwriting standards and return profiles, akin to a captive finance company run as a single-family office.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Wilmington
Corporate office
Wilmington, DE, United States
Principals
Jeffrey Crowe
CEO
Bill Kelvie
Chairman
Chris Rafuls
Chief Financial Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes investment decisions at Marlette Funding?
Bill Kelvie, as Chairman, oversees the firm's strategic direction, while CEO Jeff Crowe manages day-to-day operations. The investment committee includes family representatives and senior management. The firm's proprietary lending business Best Egg generates returns through interest income, with decisions informed by internal credit risk models (per public record).
How does Marlette Funding source origination volume?
Marlette originates loans through its digital platform Best Egg, which uses direct-to-consumer marketing, referral partnerships, and a network of bank partners including Cross River Bank. The firm employs data-driven acquisition strategies to target borrowers seeking debt consolidation and home improvement loans (per public record).
Is Marlette Funding a single-family office or a venture capital firm?
Marlette Funding operates as a single-family office that directly owns and operates a consumer lending business. Unlike venture capital firms that invest externally, Marlette deploys the family's capital into its own origination platform and holds the loans on its balance sheet. It has no external limited partners (per public record).
What investment stages does Marlette Funding target?
The firm does not publish an investment stage focus but its model is inherently growth-stage: it originates new consumer loans in a revolving manner and holds them to maturity or sells them in structured transactions. The platform is fully operational and revenue-generating (per public record).
Does Marlette Funding maintain philanthropic structures?
There is no public record of a separate philanthropic foundation tied to the family. The firm has not disclosed any charitable or impact investing vehicle distinct from its lending operations.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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