Colorado Enterprise Fund Named SBA Colorado 2025 7(a) Small Lender of the Year

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Maria Miller, Barefoot PR
maria@barefootpublicrelations.com | 303-847-1409

 Colorado Enterprise Fund Named
SBA Colorado 2025 7(a) Small Lender of the Year 
 

DENVER - May 27, 2025 - Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF) was recently awarded Small Business Administration (SBA) Colorado 7(a) Small Lender of the Year for 2025.

“We are honored and grateful for this award. This award is a reflection of what CEF does – Lending with Impact.” said Nim Patel, COO of Colorado Enterprise Fund. “This recognition is not just a reflection of hard work, but also a celebration of helping undercapitalized small business owners obtain the funding they need to start or grow their business.”

In FY24, CEF significantly increased its SBA 7(a) lending, supporting CEF’s strategic focus to provide larger loans up to $350,000 to better meet the needs of Colorado small businesses that are not able to access traditional financing. CEF achieved remarkable growth, increasing from six SBA 7(a) loans in FY23 to 33 SBA 7(a) loans totaling over $6 million in FY24, a 450% increase YOY. These 33 SBA 7(a) loans created and retained 378 jobs in Colorado. 

The 2025 SBA award follows CEF’s 2024 award of SBA Colorado Community Lender of the Year.

“We are proud of this recognition. This award was made possible by the hard work of our dedicated and talented staff as well as a broad range of community partner collaboration including the SBA, and our banking and economic development partners,” added Patel. 

About Colorado Enterprise Fund 
Founded in 1976, Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF) provides free coaching services and loans up to $1M to finance small businesses and startups unable to obtain funding through traditional means. CEF has disbursed more than $369 million in capital to over 9,500 businesses. A nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), CEF is based in Denver with lending services available statewide. CEF makes a positive impact on Colorado’s economy by accelerating community prosperity through its financing and support of entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state. For more information, visit: www.coloradoenterprisefund.org.
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