The Merchant Marketplace describes itself as a platform where investors can participate in funding small businesses through merchant cash advances (MCAs). Kevin Harrington was identified as a strategic partner in a 2022 announcement and featured as part of the platform’s 2023 launch. The available information describes a small-business funding model—not a dedicated startup equity marketplace—and does not independently verify investor returns or current operating terms.
What The Merchant Marketplace does
The company says it connects investors with small-business funding opportunities financed through MCAs. Its website describes three approaches: selecting individual deals, using managed portfolios, or choosing a fixed-term promissory-note option. These are the platform’s own descriptions; the investor’s actual rights and risks depend on the specific offer and agreement. Merchant Marketplace
That distinction matters because “startup funding” can suggest venture capital. The materials cited here instead describe funding merchants and other small businesses. They do not establish a dedicated program for taking equity stakes in startups.
Where Kevin Harrington fits
A September 19, 2022 announcement described Harrington as a strategic partner and Adam Schwartz as CEO, and positioned the business as a way to provide direct financing to small and midsize businesses. deBanked’s September 19, 2022 announcement
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A May 16, 2023 launch announcement called the platform a peer-to-peer funding platform in the MCA space and named Harrington, Schwartz, and Paul Boxer on its leadership team. Harrington said at launch that the platform had the potential to “revolutionize the merchant cash advance industry.” That quotation expresses his view at the time; it is not evidence of investment performance or of his current role. Newsfile / United Press, May 16, 2023
How an MCA differs from a loan or startup equity
An MCA generally involves a business receiving funds in exchange for a right to a portion of future receipts or another agreed repayment arrangement. It is not automatically the same as a conventional installment loan, and it is not the same as buying equity in a company. Legal treatment, payment mechanics, and recourse depend on the transaction documents and applicable law.
| Funding path | What the recipient gives or agrees to | What to examine |
|---|---|---|
| MCA | An arrangement tied to future receipts or a contractually specified repayment structure; the exact form varies. | Fees, total repayment, payment frequency, collection method, liens, guarantees, defaults, and any applicable state disclosures. |
| Conventional loan | Repayment under the loan agreement, usually with stated payment terms. | Interest and fees, payment schedule, collateral, guarantees, and default provisions. |
| Startup equity | An ownership interest or other equity-linked right, as defined by the investment documents. | Ownership percentage, dilution, voting or information rights, liquidity limits, and the possibility of losing the investment. |
The Federal Trade Commission’s 2019 small-business-financing forum transcript records participants discussing MCAs, guarantees, and how businesses compare financing costs. Participants expressed differing views, so the transcript should not be read as establishing that every MCA includes—or excludes—a personal guarantee. FTC, Strictly Business: An FTC Forum on Small Business Financing, May 8, 2019
What investors should verify before committing
The platform’s investor options are not interchangeable. A specific deal, a managed portfolio, and a fixed-term promissory note may expose an investor to different claims, counterparties, and risks. Read the offering and contract documents to determine exactly what you own or are owed; do not infer that investing through the platform means directly owning a share of a merchant.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches- Understand the claim: Identify who owes you money, what agreement creates that obligation, and whether your position is direct, pooled, or otherwise structured.
- Read the economics: Review all fees, the amount advanced, the repayment basis and timing, and how those terms affect the business receiving funds.
- Check recourse and security: Look for guarantees, liens, collection rights, and default provisions in the actual documents. Do not rely on a general statement about MCAs.
- Test the performance evidence: Separate projections, examples, and platform-published repayment or return claims from realized results independently verified over a stated period.
- Assess concentration and liquidity: Determine whether you can lose principal, how exposure is distributed across businesses, and whether or when you can withdraw or transfer an investment.
What the published claims do—and do not—show
Merchant Marketplace’s website publishes claims about investment minimums, fees, repayment rates, guarantees, liens, and example outcomes. They are company-authored descriptions, not independently audited performance figures. The available sources establish no independently published performance statistic for this platform, and they do not verify that launch-era claims or terms remain in effect. Check the company’s current materials and the documents for a specific offer before relying on any figure. Merchant Marketplace
Likewise, a return example or repayment claim should not be treated as a promised or typical investor result. The amount and timing an investor may receive depend on the deal terms and performance, among other risks; the sources cited here do not establish actual investor outcomes.
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What remains uncertain
The dated announcements support Harrington’s historical association with the platform, but do not verify his current role. The available sources also do not independently confirm current operations, investor eligibility, realized returns, deal-level performance, repayment statistics, or the legal and regulatory treatment of a particular offer. Those questions require current, offer-specific evidence rather than inference from launch materials.
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