Slope, an AI-powered lending startup, is partnering with Amazon and backed by a JPMorgan Chase credit facility to offer streamlined financing to US Amazon sellers through the Seller Central platform. The deal, announced Tuesday, enables eligible vendors to apply for and receive lines of credit with rapid approvals. Slope's AI-driven risk assessment analyses business data beyond traditional credit scores, including sales velocity, customer reviews and inventory turnover, to determine creditworthiness. This approach aims to serve businesses often overlooked by conventional lenders. The partnership targets Amazon's over 2 million US sellers, many being small and medium-sized enterprises facing persistent funding gaps. JPMorgan Chase's backing provides the capital infrastructure whilst lending credibility to AI-powered lending models in the fintech space.

Slope, an AI-based B2B payments company, raised $65 million in a new funding round, bringing its total funding to $252 million ($77 million in equity and $175 million in debt). The funds will be used to scale operations. J.P. Morgan Payments, Y Combinator, and Saga participated in the round. Slope will join the J.P. Morgan Payments Partner Network and launch SlopeAI, an AI underwriting platform for financial institutions and wholesalers.