Coming soon – loans up to $100,000 to fund your STEM, business or medicine graduate dreams. Coming soon – loans up to $100,000 to fund your STEM, business or medicine graduate dreams.
International US


A dedicated team empowering students to achieve their goals

future worth supporting

Everyone has a future worth supporting

MPOWER was founded in 2014 by Manu Smadja and Mike Davis, both former international students, to remove financial barriers to global education. They built a lending model based on students’ future potential – not their past. Since then, MPOWER has helped thousands of students pursue their study-abroad dreams, providing the support they deserve to succeed.

Our commitment

We've supported over 25,000 students to achieve their educational and ongoing career goals. At MPOWER, your success is our priority. We’re straightforward and transparent, focusing on your future potential and career success.

We’re compassionate and data-driven.

Our focus on data and impact is even more powerful because it centers on the people at the heart of our work.

We’re committed to excellence and inclusion.

Our ability to provide dependable support to students around the world stems from our team members’ diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

We’re bold, with unwavering integrity.

Our authentic passion for this mission drives us to show up with empathy and think big.

Student success by the numbers

We recognize the unique paths students take and focus on funding based on your future potential. This approach ensures you achieve the best return on your investment in education. 

100%
digital loan application process

25,000+
students funded

400+
MPOWER-eligible U.S. schools
45%
of customers are first-generation higher education students
96%
of customers rated themselves happy with our service

Team members

Emmanuel (Manu) Smadja

CEO, Co-founder, and Board Chairman

Jatin Rajput

Chief Financial Officer

Pari Lennartz

Chief Technology Officer

James Breheny

Chief Legal Officer

Debasish Banik

VP of Customer Relations

Duncan Moss

VP of Digital Marketing

Kishore Nair

VP of Credit Analytics

Mack Wallace

VP of Product

Clement Ahiekpor

AVP of Partnerships

Our people

We’re proud to have a growing team as diverse as the people we serve. We’re an international group that’s dedicated to data, excellence and inclusion – continuously striving to promote the benefits of education to students around the globe.

Team

Board of Directors

Chris Gamaitoni

Managing Director at Tilden Park Capital Management LP

Rob Partlow

Former CFO of MPOWER Financing

Manolo Sánchez

Founder of Adelante Ventures LLC

Mukul Gulati

Managing Partner of Zephyr Peacock

Phillip Riese

President of Riese & Others

Sam Alcoff

Founding partner of Tilden Park Capital Management LP

Scott Wede

President and CFO of Conventus Lending

DISCLAIMER – Subject to credit approval, loans are made by Bank of Lake Mills or MPOWER Financing, PBC. Bank of Lake Mills does not have an ownership interest in MPOWER Financing. Neither MPOWER Financing nor Bank of Lake Mills is affiliated with the school you attended or are attending. Bank of Lake Mills is Member FDIC. None of the information contained in this website constitutes a recommendation, solicitation or offer by MPOWER Financing or its affiliates to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments or other assets or provide any investment advice or service.

2026 © MPOWER Financing, Public Benefit Corporation NMLS ID #1233542

U.S. office
1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20036