Start-up business loans: what lenders actually offer
Most pages on this subject list a dozen options and hide the fact that almost none apply before you have traded. Here are the numbers. 5 of the 55 unsecured lenders on our panel will consider a start-up; 21 will look at a business trading under a year. Below twelve months the government Start Up Loan usually beats anything commercial, and asset finance on the kit you need is the other route that really works.
We introduce limited companies and LLPs to the small number of lenders whose start-up criteria fit, and we tell you plainly when the Start Up Loan or a wait of six months is the better answer. Free to you, and nothing goes anywhere without your say-so.
The start-up panel in numbers
Distinct lenders on our panel with a live product for each stage. The field widens sharply with every month traded.
5
of 55 unsecured lenders will consider a start-up
7
of 19 secured lenders will consider a start-up against security
14
of 20 invoice finance lenders will fund a start-up with invoices
21
unsecured lenders accept businesses trading under a year
39
unsecured lenders lend to directors who are not homeowners
32
asset finance lenders fund vans, the easiest first asset for a new firm
Counts are distinct lenders on our panel with at least one live product matching the criterion, checked September 2026. Panel composition changes over time, and meeting a criterion is not an offer: every case is subject to the lender's own checks.
What decides a start-up case
Months traded
Zero, six, twelve, twenty-four. Each threshold roughly doubles the lender list. If you are at ten months, the honest answer is often to come back at twelve with statements in hand.
The founder
With no accounts, the lender underwrites you: personal credit file, homeowner status, industry background and what you are putting in. A founder who has run the same trade for a competitor is a different case from a first-timer.
What the money buys
Kit finances itself because the lender holds it. Working capital, fit-out and marketing do not, which is where the Start Up Loan and your own funds come in.
Card takings
If you take card payments, six months of statements opens the merchant cash advance route, sized on takings rather than accounts. Card-heavy start-ups reach funding earlier than invoice-based ones.
A note on who we take on
We currently work with UK limited companies and LLPs only, for business and commercial purposes. We complete non-regulated introductions and are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
The panel behind this page
Start-up cases go to the 5 unsecured and 7 secured lenders on our panel that will consider one, and to the asset finance panel for the equipment, part of 200+ lenders across all products. That range matters more than any single rate: the lender that suits a five-year-old limited company with clean accounts is rarely the one that suits a seasonal business or a director with a past blip, and a broker with a shallow panel has to force your case into whichever box it holds.
Names you may recognise on the panel
Examples from our panel as at September 2026, not an endorsement of any lender and not the full list. We check criteria first and put your case only to lenders whose requirements you fit. The full panel by product is in our lender directory, and how we choose is set out on our how we work page.
Frequently asked questions
How many lenders will lend to a start-up?▼
Very few, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. On our panel 5 of the 55 unsecured lenders will consider a start-up, 7 of 19 secured lenders will against property or assets, and 14 of 20 invoice finance lenders will fund a start-up that already has invoices to factor. Figures checked September 2026; panel composition changes over time.
Is the government Start Up Loan better than a commercial loan?▼
Under 12 months of trading, usually yes, and we say so. The Start Up Loan is a personal loan of £500 to £25,000 per founder at a fixed 6% a year over one to five years, with no arrangement fee and no security, delivered through the British Business Bank. A commercial lender offering a start-up anything at all will price it well above that. Where the Start Up Loan falls short is size: a business that needs £60,000 of kit is better served by asset finance on the kit plus a Start Up Loan for working capital.
What changes at 6, 12 and 24 months?▼
At six months, merchant cash advance and revenue-based lenders start to engage if you take card payments, because they underwrite the takings rather than the accounts. At twelve months, 21 unsecured lenders on our panel accept businesses trading under a year, most of them wanting to see the bank statements and a set of management figures. At twenty-four months, with two years of filed accounts, the whole panel is open and pricing drops.
Can I get asset finance for a new business?▼
More easily than a loan, because the lender holds the asset. Vans (32 lenders), plant and mainstream equipment finance readily against a director's personal guarantee and a deposit of 10 to 20 percent, even for a company with no accounts, if the director's own credit and background support it.
Do I need to be a homeowner?▼
Not to enquire, and not for every lender. 39 of our unsecured lenders lend to directors who are not homeowners. For a start-up specifically the guarantee matters more because there are no accounts to underwrite, so homeowner status widens the small field rather than opening it.
Are start-up loans regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority?▼
Lending to a limited company or LLP for business purposes is generally unregulated. The Start Up Loan is a personal loan to the founder and is regulated consumer credit; we do not arrange it, and you apply through a delivery partner listed on the scheme's website. CapExpand introduces limited companies and LLPs on a non-regulated basis and is not an FCA-authorised firm.
Related guides
Important information
CapExpand Ltd is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and can only complete non-regulated introductions. We work with UK limited companies and LLPs only, for business and commercial purposes. We are not a lender and we do not provide financial, tax or legal advice. We work with a panel of lenders whose particulars are available on request, and we receive commission from the lender if a deal completes, at no cost to you. All lending is subject to status, valuation where applicable and the lender's own checks.
The Start Up Loan figures (£500 to £25,000 per founder, 6% fixed, one to five years) are the scheme's published terms, checked September 2026; the scheme is not on our panel and we do not arrange it.
Registered office: Pure Offices, Lake View Drive, Annesley, Nottingham, NG15 0DT. Company No. 14433858.
Tell us where you are
Months traded, what you need the money for, whether you take card payments, and what you can put in. We tell you which of the routes above is real for you, including when the answer is the Start Up Loan.