Preparation is the path to capital.
About Coinfish Capital Advisors: who we are, why we exist, and how we help businesses walk into the lending process ready.
Who we are
Coinfish Capital Advisors is a New York-based advisory firm serving businesses nationwide. We prepare small businesses for capital, and we support the lenders and CDFIs who serve them.
We are not a lender. We don't make loans, arrange loans or promise approvals. We do the work that comes before the application: getting the business, its numbers and its story ready to be reviewed.
Our mission
To prepare small businesses to access capital with confidence, and to help lenders serve them well, through hands-on, practical readiness work.
Preparation
We do the groundwork before anyone applies.
Honesty
We tell you where you really stand, even when it's not what you hoped to hear.
Persistence
We stay with you through the delays and the "not yet."
Partnership
We work alongside owners and lenders, not around them.
Why we exist
Too many business owners get turned down without ever learning why, and many never connect with the resources built to help them. Conversations about access to capital open the door; owners also need hands-on help to walk through it. Coinfish exists to close that gap. We show owners why, help them fix it, and point them to the right resources and lenders.
Our approach: access through preparedness
Access to capital isn't luck. It's preparation. Our model is simple:
- Assess. We look at your business the way a lender would: cash flow, credit, collateral, financials and plan. Then we show you where you stand.
- Organize. We help you clean up the financials, gather the documents, tighten the plan and understand your credit picture.
- Present. We help you tell a clear, complete story, so you walk into the process apply-ready.
Why does this matter? Lenders make decisions from the file in front of them. A clean, complete file is easier to review, leads to fewer back-and-forth requests, and lets the conversation focus on your business instead of missing paperwork. Every decision still belongs to the lender, but a prepared owner gives that decision the best footing.
Built for the long game
Capital takes time. A decline or a delay is not the end of the road. It's information.
We help owners stay the course, learn from every answer and build readiness over months, not days. Our job is to keep you moving forward, focused and encouraged, until you're ready for the right opportunity.
Why Coinfish?
Our name comes from Matthew 17:27, where Peter, a seasoned fisherman, is told to cast his line and finds a coin in the fish's mouth, exactly enough to meet what was owed. To us, it's a reminder that provision often comes through the work you already know, done faithfully and prepared for the moment. That's the spirit behind every Coinfish business.
Why I founded CCA
"In 24 years on the lender's side, I kept seeing the same thing: business owners going from one lender to the next, getting turned down, and never being told why. Many weren't using the resources built to help them, or weren't knocking on the right door for their stage of business.
I've been part of many panels and conversations on access to capital, and they matter. But owners often left wanting the next step: what to do on Monday morning to get ready. I founded CCA to provide that hands-on next step.
What drives me is helping an owner walk into a lender's office prepared and confident, and then watching that business grow and create jobs in its community."
Mark Brazier, EDFP
Founder, President & CEO
Meet our founder
I spent 24 years in financial services, most of it on the lender's side of the table. I reviewed business credit requests, sat on loan committees, and helped owners who weren't ready yet get there. My background covers SBA 7(a) and 504 lending, CDFI lending, CECL, and credit policy, and I hold the Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) certification.
Over my career, I've worked within credit departments at banks and CDFIs whose portfolios exceeded $500 million. Personally, I've held credit approval authority of up to $10 million, managed a $20 million portfolio with a 1.7% delinquency rate, helped raise about $15 million in capital for lending programs alongside philanthropic foundations and funding partners, and grew a contractor financing program to about $8 million. I also served on the Antigua and Barbuda Financial Development Planning Board.
Those lender roles are behind me. Today I work only as an advisor. I started Coinfish Capital Advisors because I kept seeing good businesses turned down for fixable reasons: messy financials, no clear plan, or a credit picture nobody had explained. Coinfish does not lend or arrange loans; it helps owners prepare.
Coinfish is a family of businesses that also includes Coinfish ATM Solutions.
Our Team
Mark Brazier, EDFP
President and CEO
Supported by the Coinfish AI Team
AI assistants that keep the work moving, while Mark personally leads and reviews every client engagement.
Claire Whitfield
Chief of Staff
Keeps every client engagement organized, from onboarding through each deadline and next step.
Julian Reyes
Business Development and Partnerships Manager
Builds relationships with community partners and small-business programs, and shares general education about the types of financing available.
Nadia Brooks
Credit Analyst
Supports reviews of the business credit file and financial documents that lenders typically examine.
Daniel Carter
Financial Analyst
Supports clean projections, cash flow models and internal financials.
Simone Hart
Proposal Manager
Helps our clients present a clear, complete business story in proposals and intake packages.
Rachel Kim
Grant Writer
Researches grants that fit each client and supports applications, deadlines and reporting.