With Cloudsquare, 1st Alliance tripled their monthly fundings and boosted operational efficiency by 90%
3x
5X
90%
Overview
1st Alliance set out to build a high-speed, scalable merchant cash advance (MCA) operation in early 2024 but quickly ran into limitations with their out-of-the-box tech stack. After switching to Cloudsquare, the Salesforce-powered loan management platform built for MCA scalability, 1st Alliance transformed their operations from slow and fragmented to streamlined and hyper-efficient.
1st Alliance uses Cloudsquare to power every part of their funding workflow, from application intake to underwriting, credit pulls, KYC, document management, and ACH collections. With automation now handling manual processes, Fred Granik and his team tripled their monthly fundings, grew application volume 5X, and scaled operations with 90% more efficiency—all without a bloated operations team.
The Challenge
Prior to Cloudsquare, 1st Alliance had launched their MCA business on a legacy, out-of-the-box loan system. But the team ran into common challenges:
- Their original platform lacked customization, making it impossible to tailor workflows to the fast pace of their MCA business.
- Manual tasks slowed everything down—credit pulls, application reviews, background checks—all done across different systems.
- As volume grew, so did operational strain. Tracking commissions, managing document flow, and keeping deals moving became a daily bottleneck.
- Without automation or a centralized platform, they risked hiring a large team just to stay afloat.
“The underwriting side was understood. It was the technology side that was the big thing to go through and decide who we’re going to start with and how we’re going to move forward,” said Fred Granik, CEO of 1st Alliance.
The Solution
Fred and his team evaluated two paths forward: build a Salesforce-based system from scratch or partner with Cloudsquare, whose pre-built lending platform was already designed for speed and scale.
Experience our Salesforce-driven product suite:
“The quickest and most efficient way was to go through Cloudsquare because it was already pre-built, rather than spending the next six to twelve months building it on our own.” Fred shared.
Explore Salesforce-powered software solutions:
With Cloudsquare Lend, 1st Alliance got a single Salesforce-native platform to handle the full lending lifecycle:
- Applications and bank statements were parsed instantly using Cloudsquare’s IntelliParse engine, transforming raw uploads into structured borrower profiles and cash flow summaries.
- Credit reports, KYC checks, and background verifications were just a click away.
- Commissions and fees were tracked automatically, removing the need for manual spreadsheets.
- Teams no longer jumped between tabs and tools—everything lived in one seamless system.
“It’s all at a click of a button and we see it right away. Just the efficiency has probably gone up by 90%”. – Fred Granik mentioned.
Cloudsquare’s responsive support team also stood out. Every support ticket was acknowledged within hours, and Fred’s team had direct access to technical experts for fast resolutions.
It's all at a click of a button and we see it right away. Just the efficiency has probably gone up by 90%.
Fred Granik
The Results
Today, 1st Alliance is using the Cloudsquare platform to drive growth across every area of their lending operations—and the results have been substantial.
Since launching with Cloudsquare, 1st Alliance tripled their monthly fundings, increased application volume by 3X, and boosted operational efficiency by 90%. Additionally, the team grew by just 2.5X while handling 5X more volume—saving the company from hiring a much larger ops team and keeping overhead low.
“About a threefold on funded deals, and we’re also seeing about a fivefold in applications coming through and through and we’re able to process them much quicker than we did with OrgMeter.” – Fred Granik said.
Fred and his team saw a dramatic operational transformation:
- 3X increase in funded deals
- 5X increase in application volume
- 2.5X team growth
- 90% greater efficiency
- Faster, more accurate workflows that scale with demand
With Cloudsquare, 1st Alliance didn’t just modernize their tech stack—they redefined what a lean, high-growth lending operation could look like. Today, Fred and his team have a Salesforce platform built to scale—and the confidence to grow without constraints.
