Scale Link announces co-founder Jonathan Brereton as incoming CEO
April 8, 2025—Scale Link, a community development financial institution (CDFI) that created a first-of-its-kind secondary market for small business loans, announced today that CEO Brett Simmons is departing after five years at the helm and co-founder Jonathan Brereton will step into the role as CEO. Brereton, who currently serves as the organization’s chief strategy and finance officer, will officially begin as CEO on May 1.
“Under Brett’s leadership, Scale Link has revolutionized capital access for community lenders, helping deliver millions in capital to underbanked small businesses around the country,” said Joyce Klein, chair of Scale Link’s board. “We thank Brett for his service and vision, and we are thrilled to welcome Jonathan as CEO, who has been with the organization since its conception. His financial, strategic, and managerial expertise will launch Scale Link into its next chapter.”
Brereton brings decades of experience in the CDFI sector, having served as CEO of Accion Chicago (now Allies for Community Business) for 14 years. Brereton also served as the first executive director of Thread Capital, an organization he led to greater than $50 million in small business assets under management over its first five years, and as president of Small Business Capital for the NC Rural Center, overseeing approximately $400 million in small business programs.
“With small business creation booming and demand for small-dollar loans high, Scale Link’s mission remains as important as ever,” said Brereton. “I am grateful to Brett for his outstanding leadership over the past five years, and to our partners and funders who make our work possible. I look forward to continuing to expand our footprint and launch new initiatives to support CDFIs and connect more entrepreneurs to affordable capital.”
Founded in 2020, Scale Link connects CDFIs to unrestricted, consistent capital and increases their liquidity through its proprietary secondary market for CDFI microloans. Scale Link pools microloans in packages for banks to purchase, which enables CDFIs to free up assets to make additional loans while helping banks meet their Community Reinvestment Act obligations. Additionally, Scale Link donates premiums from loan sales back to CDFIs, increasing earned income. To date, Scale Link has supported over $70 million in potential loans for underbanked entrepreneurs.
In coming months, Scale Link plans to launch new initiatives, including a new loan guarantee program to facilitate CDFI microloans of $100,000 or less – helping states and lenders quickly and effectively distribute funding to very small businesses in low- and moderate-income communities.
Scale Link has also recently launched a CDFI loan trading solution, enabling CDFIs to efficiently trade portfolios between each other, diversifying risk and raising cost effective capital. In its first year alone, Scale Link anticipates closing more than $10 million in these transactions, with over $7 million already completed.
“Leading Scale Link has been an extraordinary privilege," said Simmons. "I'm proud of our work creating a new model that helps CDFIs expand their impact and support more small businesses. In today's challenging economic landscape, this work will continue to be essential. Jonathan's financial expertise and dedication to our mission make him the ideal leader for Scale Link, and I'm excited to watch the organization reach new heights under his guidance."
###
About Scale Link
Scale Link created and manages an innovative secondary market for microloans from community development financial institutions (CDFIs). By enabling CDFIs to sell loans, Scale Link’s secondary market helps CDFIs expand their impact, while also helping commercial banks meet their Community Reinvestment Act lending goals. Scale Link’s secondary market provides CDFIs with consistent, unrestricted funding that complements public sector and philanthropic support and helps the CDFI sector scale. To date, Scale Link has facilitated over $70 million in potential loans to underbanked small businesses.