CapWorks Funding Founder Abe Chen Wins Inaugural All In For a Cause
- Shane Mahabir
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
From startup founder to poker champion, Abe Chen outlasted a competitive field to capture first place at Funder Intel and Dragins' inaugural All In for a Cause Charity Poker Tournament, taking home a brand-new MacBook Air while helping support Second Chance Society.
The final river card had everyone watching.
After an evening of networking, laughter, friendly competition, and a few dramatic all-ins, Abe Chen, Founder and CEO of CapWorks Funding, emerged as the first-ever champion of All In for a Cause, Funder Intel and Dragin Technologies' inaugural charity poker tournament.
More importantly, the event brought together professionals from across the business lending, fintech, banking, and related industries for a night that proved our community knows how to do more than business; it knows how to give back.
Benefiting Second Chance Society, and with the Second Chance CEO Dr. Danielle Doss and Board Chair Jessica Garvey in attendance, the tournament combined great networking with a meaningful cause, making the evening about much more than who finished with the most chips.
Building a New Funding Company
While Abe may now be this tournament's first poker champion, he's also building one of the industry's newest direct funding companies.
CapWorks Funding officially launched in January 2026 as a direct funder focused on responsible capital deployment and long-term partnerships.
As Founder and CEO, Chen is responsible for leading the company's vision while maintaining disciplined underwriting and sustainable growth.
"My focus is building a company and product that allows us to deploy as much capital into the market as possible while maintaining disciplined underwriting and strong long-term profitability."
It's a philosophy that, interestingly enough, applies just as well at a poker table.
A Passion for Poker
Chen first learned poker as a child, but over the last five years he's become a much more serious player.
While he's participated in a handful of tournaments, most of his experience comes from higher-stakes cash games.
"I used to play quite frequently, especially higher stakes cash games, but I haven't played much over the past year."
That made his return to tournament poker—and the outcome—even sweeter.
The Hand That Won It All
The championship match came down to one unforgettable river card.
Heads-up against Carlos Huerta with Blinds at 50-100K
Abe was first to act and looked down at: K♦ 5♦
Abe goes All In.
Carlos was holding Pocket 3s and called.
The flop came: 8s -10s – 7d
The turn paired the board with another 7, leaving Chen needing help, but can't see another spade, which would give Carlos a flush. Abe could win if the board pairs, or if a K or a 5 of a non-spade comes.
Then the dealer revealed the river.
5h !!
That card gave Abe two pair, Sevens and Fives, beating Carlos' pocket 3s and securing the tournament championship.
It was a fitting finish to end the night!
All In For A Cause Final Table Results
Congratulations to all four players who battled their way to the final table.
1st Place — Abe Chen (CapWorks Funding) Prize: Apple MacBook Air
2nd Place — Carlos Huerta Prize: Nintendo Switch
3rd Place — Roy Evans Prize: Sony Over-Ear Headphones
4th Place — Marc Green Prize: Sony Over-Ear Headphones
In addition to their prizes, each finalist also received an exclusive winner gift bag in recognition of an outstanding performance.
The Real Victory Was the Community
While Abe walked away with the championship, he believes the biggest win of the evening had nothing to do with poker.
"The Funder Intel events have been fantastic. They're incredibly valuable because they bring together every part of the industry. In an ecosystem where every deal creates opportunity, building relationships is everything.
Whether you're a broker looking for the right funding partners, a funder looking for great brokers, or a vendor providing software and services, these events help people connect with the right partners. Those relationships ultimately lead to more deals getting done, which benefits everyone involved."
That perfectly captures why events like All In for a Cause exist.
Yes, there was poker.
Yes, there were prizes.
But the real value came from the conversations between hands, the new introductions, and the partnerships that will continue long after the final chips were counted.
Congratulations, Abe!
Congratulations again to Abe Chen on becoming the inaugural All In for a Cause Charity Poker Tournament Champion.
Thank you as well to every participant, sponsor, volunteer, and attendee who helped make the evening such a success in support of Second Chance Society.
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Your generosity helped make this event possible.
We're already looking forward to next year, and judging by the smiles around the poker tables, we have a feeling many of you are too.
