- 1QualiFi grew 658% in three years, ranking No. 528 on the Inc. 5000 and No. 9 in Pennsylvania.
- 2About 90% of interactions begin with a Zoom discovery call of roughly 30 minutes.
- 3Lines of credit make up 60-65% of clients' first transactions.
QualiFi, a small business finance brokerage, grew 658% over three years, which put it 528th on the 2026 Inc. 5000 and ninth among Pennsylvania companies. The Inc. 5000 also ranked it second among companies that describe themselves as small business finance brokerages. CEO Edward DeAngelis attributes much of that to a human-first approach at a time when growth is leaning on automation and AI.
The discovery call
DeAngelis says that in about 90% of client interactions, QualiFi sends a Zoom link for a video call, typically 30 minutes, which it calls a discovery call. He says the format works better than a phone call with a distracted owner, because the client's CEO, CFO and sometimes operations managers join. The aim is to understand what the client needs and map a path to it, now or later. After that, the team uses whatever channel fits: text, email or phone.
QualiFi invests heavily in technology, DeAngelis says, but uses it to make processes more efficient instead of replacing customer service.
Culture and the Broker Fair stage
In June, DeAngelis presented at Broker Fair in New York on his company's history and the effort to "10x" a broker shop. He cited culture, client experience, hiring, onboarding and training. On culture, he said it is "not about posters and ping pong tables." His argument is that a team that is looked after looks after clients, and that goodwill trickles down. He gave his team credit for the Inc. 5000 placement.
Products and goals
Lines of credit make up roughly 60% to 65% of what clients do first. Beyond that, the company arranges term loans, SBA loans, MCAs, and both secured and unsecured financing. DeAngelis and partner Jason Maury set out to build a $100 million company. They have not reached it yet, he says, but guided by a motto of "1% better every day," they keep pushing.
Source reporting: deBanked.
