Highlights from the Growth Sector

Ken Cauley, Managing Partner of Konnected and IDG Ambassador, engages in an insightful discussion with IDG’s Diana Aquino, delving into the evolution of project finance, the challenges faced by companies seeking capital, and the entrepreneurial opportunities arising from fluctuating interest rates, ultimately highlighting the transformative nature of finance in diverse industries.

What is project finance and how is it used?

A fair amount of industry lingo is interchangeable, or at least, many of the lines separating different types of debt-based financing have been blurred. Historically, project finance is the long-term financing of large infrastructure and industrial projects based on future completion value and project cash flows. Generally, and most commonly, are limited recourse loans, which are secured by the project assets, rather than from the assets or creditworthiness of the project sponsors.

While these project finance fundamentals still hold true today, project finance has gotten more creative and subsequently become viable, if not favorable, for other forms of large development projects, including various forms of commercial real estate as well as corporate finance. For example, in the past year Konnected has approved its project finance capital for urban redevelopment, hotels and resorts, oil and gas, industrial and manufacturing, and more.

What are the common challenges faced by companies seeking project financing?

The most common challenges of sponsors seeking project financing is the same challenges shared by nearly every other individual or company seeking any form of capital — access. From startup founders seeking a $2M seed round, to a Vegas resort building its capital stack, to public-private partnerships seeking billions in project finance, most parties generally struggle with access. Furthermore, even with lower interest rates on the horizon, the high interest rates offered by most lenders today often make most large developments unworkable. Equity cannot be easily obtained because the interest kills the project ROI and most development lenders require too much security, too much equity, and only want to throw down on vertical construction debt.

How does the industry adapt to fluctuating interest rates or economic uncertainties?

This is the real elephant in the room. While access, as previously described, is and will always be a challenge, such is life and the way of the world. While the internet has made the world exponentially smaller and AI will presumably disrupt the finance industry in untold ways, the cream always rises to the top. In other words, if the game was easy, everybody would play it.

But herein lies the opportunity of the people to solve problems. Virtually every service, solution, product, or innovation (positive or negative), and virtually every future solution yet to be, came from and will continue to come from entrepreneurs. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. The realities of fluctuating interest rates and economic uncertainties has opened the door for entrepreneurs to create new solutions. After all, there is an unspeakable amount of capital in this world that is begging to be put to work. As such, queue Konnected and our project finance capital access, with terms and rates that beat out the banks. For us at Konnected, we fight the good fight in the shark infested waters of finance and, when required, happily step into the cage for three to five rounds. Though we fight the good fight with an unwavering dedication to our core values centered around serving Him by serving humanity. At the end of the day, nothing else matters and it all belongs to Him anyway. We’re just operating as good stewards.

IDG Insights is a thought-provoking blog series delving into transformative conversations with today’s visionaries. Join us as we engage with CEOs, Directors, and leaders at the forefront of innovation across diverse industries. Uncover firsthand the strategic insights, visionary foresight, and groundbreaking strategies propelling us towards the advancements of tomorrow.

Get in touch with Ken Cauley: kencauley@konnected.com | www.konnected.com