ABOUT STRATEGIC THINKTANK
Experience that strengthens the small business lending ecosystem.
Since 1994, we have helped turn promising businesses into better-prepared borrowers—and helped institutions build stronger lending outcomes.
Explore our approachPARTNERING WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH
OUR STORY
Built on decades of small business experience.
Strategic Thinktank is a Michigan-based capital readiness and education firm. We connect lender expectations, ecosystem partners, and business owners—translating financing requirements into practical action.
Our work strengthens the entire lending ecosystem by preparing businesses with the knowledge, documentation, and confidence to access capital while equipping institutions with scalable, lender-aligned solutions.
THREE DECADES OF EVOLUTION
Our evolution. One enduring purpose.
OUR ROLE
Where we fit in the capital ecosystem.
OUR CAPABILITIES
What we do best.
Practical, lender-aligned solutions that help institutions prepare stronger borrowers and strengthen small business lending outcomes.
Borrower Readiness Programs
Prepare promising businesses to meet lender expectations and pursue financing with greater confidence.
Cohort-Based Education
Deliver structured, lender-aligned learning that moves businesses from potential to preparedness.
Lender-Aligned Tools
Provide practical assessments, templates, checklists, and documentation businesses can apply immediately.
Lending Pipeline Support
Help partners develop stronger pipelines of informed, organized, and financing-ready borrowers.
Partner-Aligned Program Design
Customize pilots, cohorts, and capital-readiness initiatives around partner and community priorities.
Scalable Delivery & Licensing
Extend program reach through facilitated cohorts, sponsored access, licensing, and partner-supported delivery.
TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS
Organizations we have partnered with
U.S. Small Business Administration
Michigan Small Business Development Center
Great Lakes Women’s Business Council
Cultivating Community. Transforming Lives.
OUR SIGNATURE CAPITAL READINESS PLATFORM
Becoming Bankable®
Becoming Bankable® translates decades of small business experience into a structured, lender-aligned path that helps businesses prepare for more productive capital conversations.
The platform supports our broader institutional work—it does not replace the guidance, program design, or partner collaboration behind it.
Discover Becoming Bankable®A PRACTICAL PATH TO CAPITAL READINESS
Assess
Identify financial and documentation gaps.
Strengthen
Improve the factors that influence lender confidence.
Document
Organize lender-required financial information.
Prepare
Build a clear, credible financing request.
Engage
Enter capital conversations better prepared.
OUR TEAM
Meet the team behind the work.
A multidisciplinary team united by a practical commitment to capital readiness and stronger small business outcomes.
Lola Aré
President & CEO
Denny Igun
Vice President
Kirstine Jean Ortega
Marketing Automation Manager
Suganya N
Executive Support
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