Bridge, a Citi-backed AI-powered lending platform, has announced the launch of a $500 million direct lending fund aimed at CPG brands and retail suppliers fulfilling purchase orders for America's largest retailers. Since spinning out from Citi in 2023, Bridge has deployed over $800 million and facilitated financing for hundreds of growing businesses. This fund launch marks the next phase of growth for Bridge, driven by demand from suppliers selling into major retailers.
The financing gap that suppliers face is often invisible to outsiders. When a brand secures an order from a major retailer, it must cover manufacturing, raw materials, packaging, freight, and compliance costs before the goods are delivered and long before the retailer pays. This timing mismatch can force even strong brands to drain operating cash, raise equity for routine production, delay fulfillment, or turn to costly and opaque financing options. Bridge's AI-powered underwriting looks forward at upcoming orders, allowing suppliers to fund demand in days, rather than relying on historical profits and invoices like traditional lenders.
Through its work with Walmart, Bridge recently funded DogSauce, a pet-food super broth meal topper that expanded from 1,200 to over 3,000 Walmart stores on a single order that nearly doubled the brand's prior year revenue. Dakota Sheets, founder of DogSauce, said, "When Walmart calls with an expansion like this, you don't want to say no. But the financing gap between production and payment is real, and Bridge makes it possible to fill the orders without giving up equity."
"Retail is being reshaped by volatility in tariffs, freight, oil prices and consumer demand, and the pressure often lands first on the growing suppliers that have the least room to absorb it," said Rohit Mathur, CEO and Co-Founder of Bridge. "Bridge is using AI to put capital to work for the businesses that need it. By analyzing the business, the order, and the retailer relationship more deeply than legacy underwriting allows, Bridge can move faster and get from no to yes for strong suppliers that traditional lenders might miss."
Walmart has recognized the value of this program. Brandy Newhof, Senior Director of Global Treasury at Walmart, stated, "Bridge's Purchase Order Financing Program gives Walmart suppliers an additional option for funding their orders. Expanding the range of capital options available to our suppliers is one of the ways we support our supplier community."
Bridge funds up to 100% of a brand's production costs on expected or confirmed orders, with repayment structured around when brands receive payment. "Plenty of lenders are happy to extend capital once a brand has delivered the goods and there's an invoice out. Lending against the credit risk of a major retailer like Walmart isn't hard," said Harte Thompson, Co-Founder and COO of Bridge. "But Bridge supports growing brands when they actually need it, when they are building the inventory to fill an upcoming order. That's the moment capital is hardest to find, and when it's not there, good brands get pushed into expensive, opaque financing or dilutive equity raises just to fund routine production. Bridge was built for that moment instead."
Access to production capital is one of the clearest ways to help businesses scale and keep shelves stocked. Bridge's AI-powered underwriting infrastructure is built around the specific payment cycles, fulfillment requirements, and operating realities of each retailer, helping brands access the capital needed to say yes to bigger orders without putting the rest of the business under pressure. For more information, visit bridge.co.
