CHALLENGE

Billy needed to protect and grow their investor funds without losing access to them

Melanie Arnold, VP of Finance at Billy, needed a solution to manage the company’s liquidity in a way that didn’t conflict with its goals. Startups of all sizes understand the conundrum: Melanie wanted to preserve FDIC insurance on investors’ cash infusions and inflationary pressures while efficiently managing Billy’s checking accounts.

At the time, Billy’s cash was in a checking account that provided no interest. The earnings on their treasury account couldn’t keep up with the inflationary forces diminishing the dollar’s value. Melanie didn’t want the value of Billy’s hard-won capital raise to melt away. 

Another frustration? Accessing their funds in treasury took four to five business days.

Melanie looked into other banking options but found that most could only achieve one of her objectives while neglecting the others:

- Locking up the cash in U.S. Treasury ladders, money market funds, or similar vehicles would protect it, but Billy needed that cash to stay liquid to pay for business and growth initiatives.
‍
- Opening multiple high-interest checking accounts would require many logins, dashboards, and transfers, complicating the team’s daily work

- Keeping the cash in one bank account left it vulnerable to unacceptable risk 

You just don't have the time to actively manage cash. But in this interest rate environment, you're also missing out and doing a disservice to your investors if you’re not earning money on it.”

SOLUTION

Crescent offered Billy better interest, more protection, and improved my treasury control

Melanie started doing research into how Crescent works. She was attracted by a sweep network^† available to Crescent through its relationship with FirstBank that spreads the deposit balances in excess of the standard maximum insurance limit of $250,000 per account to other U.S. banks while maintaining liquidity. Curious, she visited FirstBank and spoke to the team, giving her peace of mind. “I mean, I even looked up FirstBank’s banking charter just to make sure everything was cool,” Melanie laughs. “I so appreciated the active involvement of the Crescent team and the willingness to put me in touch with its partner bank to verify who it said it was.”

"Onboarding with Crescent was so painless and fast that Melanie doesn’t remember skipping a beat. The quick switch de-risked Billy’s liquid cash, growing the asset safely right away." - Melanie said.

Now, the ledger balance is reflected in one main operating account while the funds are spread out in smaller amounts across multiple banks, giving Billy instant access to their funds while providing enhanced FDIC coverage. The cash necessary for payroll and other immediate expenses is now available on demand without exceeding the $250,000 insurance limit of any one bank.

As a leader in a startup, Melanie appreciates that agility and protection.Crescent’s 5.25% APY^* interest rate currently outpaces inflation — Melanie’s main priority. And the new setup significantly simplifies Melanie’s daily tasks. Her Crescent dashboard now serves as both a treasury management tool and an operating account, consolidating all her key banking information onto one simple page.

“Usually treasury management is a cost center, but between Crescent’s interest and time savings, I can focus on higher value activities.”  

RESULTS

Billy’s growing cash is safely locked down but not locked up

Implementing Crescent achieved Melanie’s main goals of earning more interest and hedging against the risks that commonly antagonize startups. But the team also enjoys a lighter administrative burden of managing that cash. 

Here’s a snapshot of their results so far: 

- 5.25% APY* interest rate on liquid funds

-2-3 hours per week saved on treasury management

- As for her new technology partner, she’s excited that Crescent is hyper-focused on investing in the customer.

- The Crescent team listens to her and places a high value on her feedback and suggestions. As the partnership matures and deepens, Melanie loves talking with the Crescent team, swapping ideas and improving together. 

‍
“Crescent structure allows you to just put your banking on autopilot, and they feel like a trusted extension of our finance team. Together, we are just going to get better and better.”