2UniFi and Nav Team Up to Power Growth for Small Business

Rhea-AI Summary

National Bank Holdings Corporation (NYSE: NBHC) has announced a strategic partnership between its financial ecosystem 2UniFi and Nav, a leading credit and financial health platform for small businesses. The partnership includes NBHC's $5 million strategic investment in Nav and integration of their services.

2UniFi will be integrated within Nav's marketplace for small business deposit and lending solutions, while Nav's financial health and credit insights will be incorporated into the 2UniFi experience. Nav currently serves over 1 million users with tools for accessing, monitoring, and building business credit.

Tim Laney, NBHC's Chairman, CEO, and 2UniFi Founder, will serve as an observer on Nav's board. The collaboration aims to transform small and medium-sized businesses' access to the U.S. banking system.

Positive

• Strategic $5 million investment in Nav provides new growth opportunities
• Access to Nav's established user base of over 1 million small businesses
• Integration of complementary services enhances both platforms' offerings
• Expansion of NBHC's reach in the small business financial services market

Negative

• None.

Insights

Banking and FinTech Strategist

NBHC's partnership with Nav and $5M investment connects its 2UniFi platform to Nav's 1M+ small businesses, creating strategic growth opportunities.

National Bank Holdings Corporation has made two strategic moves to accelerate its newly launched 2UniFi financial ecosystem. First, it's establishing a key integration with Nav, a platform serving over 1 million small business users with credit and financial health tools. Second, NBHC has made a $5 million strategic investment in Nav, with CEO Tim Laney joining as a board observer.

This partnership creates a powerful distribution channel for NBHC's 2UniFi platform, which was just launched this month. By integrating with Nav's marketplace, 2UniFi gains immediate access to Nav's extensive small business customer base without having to build this audience independently. The integration works both ways - 2UniFi will incorporate Nav's financial health and credit insights into its ecosystem, while 2UniFi's banking solutions will become available through Nav's marketplace.

From a strategic perspective, this represents a classic fintech partnership model where a traditional banking institution (NBHC) partners with a technology platform (Nav) to expand distribution and enhance product capabilities. The $5 million investment secures this relationship while giving NBHC visibility into Nav's operations through the board observer seat.

For NBHC shareholders, this partnership presents potential for accelerated customer acquisition and deposit growth through the 2UniFi platform. Rather than building market share organically (which is expensive and time-consuming), NBHC is leveraging Nav's established user base of over one million small businesses. The strategic investment also positions NBHC to benefit from Nav's growth while gaining valuable insights into small business financial behaviors that could inform future product development.

DENVER, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National Bank Holdings Corporation (NYSE: NBHC) is pleased to announce a strategic partnership to support 2UniFi, an innovative financial ecosystem for business launched this month. As part of the initial collaboration, 2UniFi will be integrated within the Nav marketplace for small business deposit and lending solutions. With over 1 million users, Nav is the leading credit and financial health platform for small business owners, offering a suite of tools to help entrepreneurs access, monitor, and build their business credit. Additionally, Nav provides small business owners with a wealth of short and long term financing options to fuel their growth.

Tim Laney, Chairman and CEO of NBHC and Founder of 2UniFi stated, “2UniFi is building a comprehensive ecosystem of financial solutions paired with data driven insights with the goal of transforming the way small and medium-sized businesses access the U.S. banking system. This partnership with Nav will help propel 2UniFi’s growth by expanding our reach to small businesses through Nav’s deposit and lending marketplace."

With a shared vision to support the success of small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S., Nav and 2UniFi will leverage their unique capabilities to bring robust solutions to market. 2UniFi will integrate Nav’s financial health and credit insights inside the 2UniFi experience.

NBHC has also made a $5 million strategic investment in Nav. Laney, who will serve as an observer on Nav’s board, added, “Small businesses are essential for a healthy and thriving economy. By integrating Nav’s business credit insights into the 2UniFi experience, we are empowering everyday entrepreneurs with the financial health tools they need to further grow their business.”

"At Nav, we’re committed to providing small business owners with the best service and products they need to ensure their businesses are not only able to survive, but thrive for years,” said Levi King, Nav CEO, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board. “This partnership with 2UniFi not only affords us the opportunity to provide a truly differentiated offering to our customers, but it opens the door for even more small business owners to access resources that many of them so desperately need.”

Tim Laney added, “In the course of partnership discussions, our team developed a deep appreciation for the proven experience Levi and his team have in the financial technology arena. We look forward to the positive impact we can make together for business owners and operators.”

About National Bank Holdings Corporation

National Bank Holdings Corporation is a bank holding company created to build a leading community bank franchise delivering high quality client service and committed to stakeholder results. Through its bank subsidiaries, NBH Bank and Bank of Jackson Hole Trust, National Bank Holdings Corporation operates a network of over 85 banking centers, serving individual consumers, small, medium and large businesses, and government and non-profit entities. Its banking centers are located in its core footprint of Colorado, the greater Kansas City region, Utah, Wyoming, Texas, New Mexico and Idaho. Its comprehensive residential mortgage banking group primarily serves the bank’s core footprint. Its trust business is operated in its core footprint under the Bank of Jackson Hole Trust charter. NBH Bank operates under a single state charter through the following brand names as divisions of NBH Bank: in Colorado, Community Banks of Colorado and Community Banks Mortgage; in Kansas and Missouri, Bank Midwest and Bank Midwest Mortgage; in Utah, Texas, New Mexico and Idaho, Hillcrest Bank and Hillcrest Bank Mortgage; and in Wyoming, Bank of Jackson Hole and Bank of Jackson Hole Mortgage. Additional information about National Bank Holdings Corporation can be found at www.nationalbankholdings.com.

For more information visit: cobnks.com, bankmw.com, hillcrestbank.com, bankofjacksonhole.com, or nbhbank.com. Or connect with any of our brands on LinkedIn.

About Nav Technologies, Inc.
Nav is the leading credit and financial health platform for small businesses. Nav’s unique financial health platform shows cash flow and credit insights alongside suggested financing options, and is the only place small business owners can build and manage business credit and see what financing they can qualify for before they apply. Nav has raised more than $100 million in capital from investors including Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments, Kleiner Perkins, Experian Ventures, and Point72 Ventures.

Contact:
Analysts/Institutional Investors: Emily Gooden, 720-554-6640 Chief Accounting Officer and Investor Relations Director ir@nationalbankholdings.com		Media: Jody Soper, 303-784-5925 Chief Marketing Officer Jody.Soper@nbhbank.com
Nicole Van Denabeele, 720-529-3370 Chief Financial Officer ir@nationalbankholdings.com

Source: National Bank Holdings Corporation

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ea449cea-5438-4ef9-b2c5-1f3b752a8166

FAQ

What is the partnership between NBHC's 2UniFi and Nav?

NBHC's 2UniFi is partnering with Nav to integrate their services, with 2UniFi joining Nav's marketplace for small business solutions and Nav's credit insights being incorporated into the 2UniFi platform. NBHC also made a $5 million strategic investment in Nav.

How many users does Nav currently serve?

Nav currently serves over 1 million users as a leading credit and financial health platform for small business owners.

What is Tim Laney's role in the NBHC and Nav partnership?

Tim Laney is the Chairman and CEO of NBHC and Founder of 2UniFi, and will serve as an observer on Nav's board following the strategic partnership.

What services will the NBHC-Nav partnership provide to small businesses?

The partnership will provide small businesses with access to deposit and lending solutions, business credit monitoring tools, financial health insights, and data-driven solutions to help them access the U.S. banking system.

How much did NBHC invest in Nav as part of the partnership?

NBHC made a strategic investment of $5 million in Nav as part of the partnership agreement.