For startups, brand new UK businesses, to businesses trading up to 2 years - that's exactly where we're built to help. Up to £10 million, decisions in 24–48 hours, no broker chain.
Quick quote · 30 seconds · No live credit checks
The UK's mainstream lenders - banks, peer-to-peer platforms, marketplace brokers - almost all require 12 months of trading and filed accounts before they'll look at you. That leaves a real gap for new businesses who need capital to actually start trading.
We've spent years building a specialist start-up underwriting team that lends on plan, founder, market and security - not just back-looking accounts data.
Their underwriting model is built around historic numbers.
Specialist underwriting for start-ups.
Six of the most common start-up loan uses. Each one is a real situation we fund every day - different sectors, different sizes, same straightforward process.
Shopfront, office, workshop, restaurant unit. Lease deposit, first six months' rent and the fit-out cost - bundled into one loan.
Kitchen kit, salon chairs, manufacturing machinery, fleet vehicles, IT setup. The physical stuff you cannot trade without.
Your first three employees. Salaries, NIC, software seats, the laptop they need on day one. Funded to bridge the first 6–12 months of payroll.
First stock buy for retail, ecommerce, or wholesale. Get the shelves filled so you can actually sell something.
Brand identity, website, paid acquisition, PR, content. The investment that turns “we exist” into customers walking through the door.
Cash buffer to get from launch to first stable month. Insurance, accounting, software, all the recurring costs of being a business.
Real customers, verified by Trustpilot. Many of them are start-ups.
We can't fund every idea - and we won't pretend otherwise. Here are the five things we look at when underwriting a brand-new business. The stronger your answer to each, the better your offer.
The single biggest factor in whether a start-up survives is who's running it. Relevant sector experience, prior leadership - all of it weighs heavily.
Is there real demand? Is the addressable market big enough? Who's already in it and how are you different? We're more likely to fund a boring business in a real market than a brilliant idea in a niche of one.
How the loan will actually be used, when revenue starts, what break-even looks like and how it gets repaid. Conservative numbers beat aspirational ones - we're looking for a plan that holds up if everything takes 30% longer than you'd hoped.
Your own capital in the business, ideally. Not because we need huge equity injections - but because skin-in-the-game is the strongest signal that you'll see it through when it gets hard.
What can sit behind the loan if things go wrong. Personal guarantees, property and debenture are most common. Strong security can offset weakness elsewhere.
Four steps, more thorough underwriting than our standard business loans (because we're lending without trading history). Typical timeline 24 hours.
30-second form. Tell us about the business, what you'll use the loan for and a bit about you. Attach your plan if you have one.
Within 2 hours. Not a triage call - a real conversation about you, the business and how the loan would actually be used.
Our start-up team reviews your plan, sector, security and founder background. Decision typically within 4 hours.
Sign the documents and funds are released. For most loans funds land within a working day of signature. Larger cases can take longer.
Three new businesses we've funded in the last few weeks. Different sectors, different starting points, all under 24 months trading.
“The lease deposit and fit-out alone needed £45k. Banks won't touch you with 11 weeks of trading. We were profitable by month four.”
“Two founders, four months of trading, three signed pilots. Nationwide Finance funded us against the pipeline. We hired a team of five.”
“Twenty years as a foreman, then went out on my own. Nationwide Finance funded the CNC mill and first six months of payroll before I'd taken my first invoice.”
My bank said no. Nationwide Finance said yes on the first call - and meant it.
What you can borrow, what you need to qualify and what we'll need to see. If yours isn't here, the full FAQ has more - or ask us directly.
See the full FAQ →Yes. From day one, we'll consider you. The government's Start Up Loans scheme caps at £25,000 and requires a personal loan structure; ours is commercial lending from £8,000 to £10,000,000.
In theory £10 million, in practice it depends on what you bring to the table. Most start-up loans we write are between £20,000 and £150,000. Larger amounts require strong security, a credible plan and usually some founder experience in the sector.
That's our specialism. Pre-revenue start-ups make up around 40% of what we fund on the start-up side. We underwrite on the plan, the founder, the addressable market and the security available.
Founder background and experience in the sector, opening order book or letters of intent if you have them, security available and personal financial commitment.
We lend to UK limited companies. If you haven't incorporated yet - or haven't started a business at all - that's no problem. We can guide you through the process to set up a limited company in minutes so you are ready to apply.
As long as it's part of a credible operating plan.
1 to 6 years. Most start-up loans we write are 3–5 years to give the business room to grow before the loan is fully repaid. Settle early any time with no penalty.
Pure crypto / DeFi, betting & gaming, adult content, cannabis (UK retail), CBD distribution at scale, MLM / pyramid structures.
Tell us about your business. A start-up specialist will call back within 2 working hours. No commitment, no broker fees, no impact on your credit.