As anyone with a small business knows, securing capital remains one of the greatest challenges they face. For Nicholas Savino and Andrew Manzo, founders of Onesto Capital, the solution lies in providing accessible, transparent, and tailored financial services.
Savino and Manzo, childhood friends from Mahwah, played hockey together for 20 years before both entering private wealth management. Their careers eventually led them to recognize a gap in the lending space.
“We saw a tremendous need for business owners,” Manzo explains. “When we were in private wealth management, we were taking money from people and investing it, but a lot of people were hesitant because they needed money more than they needed to invest it.”
Manzo recalls a turning point when he was offered a job in the funding industry. “I realized I now had an opportunity to help business owners get money instead of just managing their wealth,” he notes. “I pretty much jumped on that, started learning the industry, and then I told Nick about it. He said, ‘This is a great opportunity.’”
Savino agrees, emphasizing that small businesses are often overlooked in the lending space. “It’s difficult for small businesses to acquire capital a lot of the time,” he says. “I thought it was a great opportunity—still in finance but a different factor of finance.”
After learning the industry, Manzo decided to branch off and start his own brokerage. “I didn’t have the money to be funding, but I had all the resources and connections to broker deals between business owners and the funding companies I worked with over the years,” he shares. “I built relationships with banks, lending companies, and investment firms—anyone offering capital.”
Manzo pitched the idea to Savino over a few dinners. “After some convincing and teaching him a little bit about the industry, he was fully up to speed,” Manzo says. “We said, ‘All right, let’s do it,’ and left it to fate. We started our own brokerage and have been in business for the past year and a half.”
Tailored Financial Solutions for Business Owners
Onesto Capital offers a wide range of financial solutions, including SBA loans, venture capital, debt consolidation, and revenue-based financing. The firm’s flexibility allows it to assist clients with varying financial backgrounds and credit scores.
“If a business owner comes to us looking for short-term capital, we can get that for them right away,” Savino explains. “If they need a longer-term capital solution, we usually go to a bank or an SBA lender.”
Manzo explains that their product offerings have grown organically. “We started with a few core services,” he says. “But if we run into a client who needs something we don’t offer, we find a connection, reach out to a company, and partner with them. Our goal is to help clients in any way possible.”
For business owners considering taking the leap into entrepreneurship, Manzo offers simple but powerful advice: “Go for it,” he shares. “Make sure it’s something you’re passionate about, not just something you think will make money. If you’re passionate, success will follow.”
Savino echoes the sentiment, highlighting Onesto Capital’s commitment to client success. “Our goal is to help businesses thrive,” he shares. “We work with struggling businesses daily. Whether it’s debt consolidation, a capital infusion, or funding for purchase orders, we want to help them get to the next step.”
A Client-Centered Approach
Onesto Capital differentiates itself from competitors through transparency and a broad range of financial products. “A lot of our clients say it’s a breath of fresh air working with us compared to other brokers,” Savino notes. “We tell them exactly what’s going on, what we’re doing, and what’s possible.”
Savino adds that their ability to work with private lenders sets them apart. “Most banks require a minimum credit score of 700 or 750 for an SBA loan,” he says. “We work with clients who have a 500 credit score because private lenders care more about the money coming into the company than the credit score itself.”
Manzo shares a recent success story. “Last year, we had a client who wanted a $4 million SBA loan but had a sub-600 credit score. He couldn’t get bank funding,” he explains. “We spoke with the client and let him know we weren’t able to get him the full $4 million, but still had other options available to him. We had him break down the exact amount of his initial project and came to the conclusion that, at that time, he really only needed between $150,000 and $200,000. We were able to secure $200,000 from a private lender. By the end of the year, we funded him over half a million dollars to fuel future projects, which helped him grow his business to the point where he was acquired by another company.”
Building for the Future
Looking ahead, Savino and Manzo aim to expand Onesto Capital’s reach while strengthening ties within their local community. “We work with businesses across all 50 states, as well as in Canada and Puerto Rico,” Savino says. “But we also want to personally help people close to our community and get more involved locally.”
As they continue to grow, the team remains focused on their mission—offering honest, transparent, and effective financial solutions. “Our company name, Onesto, means ‘honest’ in Italian,” Manzo shares. “Because that’s what we stand for.”
For more information, visit onestocapitalgroup.com.
“Our company name, Onesto, means ‘honest’ in Italian. Because that’s what we stand for.” - Andrew Manzo