Realize your dreams of running a successful startup business with the right type of funding. Compare top lenders offering flexible qualifications, quick funding, and competitive rates and terms.
If you have less than two years’ history of operating your business, lenders will typically classify you as a startup. Because they know that startups have a high failure rate, it can be difficult to get approved for a loan. To help increase your chances of getting funding, I’ve researched dozens of lenders and selected those willing and able to offer loans to newer companies. My picks for the best startup loans have a combination of fast funding speeds, excellent customer service, flexible qualification requirements, and competitive rates and terms.
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I chose Lendio as the best overall option because of the number of loan programs it has. It’s a business loan broker with more than 75 lenders in its network, which means you’ll have plenty of chances to get approved at the best available rates and terms. When working with Lendio, you’ll get a dedicated loan advisor who will match you with the most suitable lenders and loan programs based on your business needs and circumstances.
Lendio offers a specific program for startup financing. Available financing types include a business credit line, equipment financing, revenue-based financing, and invoice factoring. It also offers Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, term loans, cash advances, commercial mortgages, business credit cards, and business acquisition loans.
With Lendio, you can submit an online application in just minutes. Doing so will have no impact on your credit score and carries no monetary cost to do so. After your submission, you will then work with a loan specialist to determine your options and eligibility. Plus, you can even get funding on the very same business day, a feature that helped it make our list of the best same-day business loans.
If you’re looking for flexible access to funds, I think that a credit line with Bluevine is an excellent option. With a small business credit line, you can continuously draw funds on an as-needed basis up to your credit limit, without needing to reapply for another loan. This makes it fantastic for covering emergencies or unexpected shortages in cash flow. Notably, Bluevine also made our list of the best business line of credit providers for 2025.
When paired with a Bluevine Business Checking account, its line of credit gives you instant access to funds — much faster than other banks, which typically require 1-2 business days before you can use funding from a credit line. It also has options for weekly and monthly repayments, although the eligibility criteria for its monthly payment plan are more difficult to meet. Before applying, however, note that Bluevine may not be able to lend in certain industries, such as gambling, auto dealerships, firearms, and more.
Applying with Bluevine is something that can be done online in just a few minutes. There’s no impact to your credit score, and once approved, you can get access to funds instantly with a paired Bluevine Business Checking account. Even without the checking account, you can still get access to funds within 24 hours.
If you want white glove service, look no further than National Funding. As a company, National Funding places a large emphasis on providing premium service levels, and that’s reflected in its 4.7-star rating on Trustpilot with over 2,000 individual reviews. Beyond just providing great service, however, National Funding is also a great choice for businesses worried that they might not qualify, as the company considers all of its applications on a case-by-case basis, retaining the majority of its loans in-house to allow for the greatest level of flexibility and discretion in credit reviews.
National Funding focuses most of its business on short-term loans and does its best to incentivize companies to pay off loans more quickly. As an example, it offers an early payment discount of up to 7% of the remaining balance for loans paid off within 100 days of the funding date. Available loan programs include equipment financing, equipment leasing, and small business loans, where funds can be used for nearly any business-related purpose, such as inventory, payroll, marketing, or taxes.
You can visit the National Funding website to learn more and to apply. One of the things I also love about this company is that its documentation requirements are typically easier than most other companies.
With instant approval and funding within 24 hours, Clarify Capital is a great go-to if you need funds now. While some other lenders may also offer fast funding speeds, Clarify Capital carries lower credit score requirements for many of its loan programs. Additionally, it’s a business loan broker with over 75 lenders in its network, which means it can provide you with many options for loan types, programs, and lenders.
Clarify Capital offers several loans that can offer fast approval and funding speeds. Some examples include term loans, business credit lines, invoice financing, and merchant cash advances. As with most business loan brokers, working with Clarify Capital means you’ll get the guidance of a dedicated loan advisor to ensure you pick the loan best suited for your needs. And, with a 4.9-star Trustpilot rating through more than 500 reviews, it’s clear that customers feel the company does a great job of doing so.
Applying online is a quick process that can be done in as little as two minutes. And with no impact to your credit score and no upfront fees, it’s a risk-free process to see what you might be able to get.
For loan repayment terms outside of the standard daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cycles, SBG Funding is worth considering because it offers custom payment options tailored to your company’s specific needs. It could include deferred payments for up to three months or even bi-monthly or seasonal payments.
Custom payment options offered by SBG Funding can be a great way for companies with cyclical or unpredictable revenue cycles to find a way to manage debt obligations. It also boasts a high overall loan approval rate of 85%, which means you’ll have a good chance of getting approved — as long as you meet the minimum requirements. With that being said, however, I recommend having strong compensating factors to offset any weakness in your application.
SBG Funding offers term loans, credit lines, equipment finance, invoice financing, and more. You can also apply online with no impact on your credit score.
If you need funds to get business equipment, but are worried that you might not qualify, Smarter Finance USA is a must for you to consider. It’s the only provider on our list with no minimum requirements for time in business, credit score, or annual business revenue. Instead, it takes a holistic case-by-case approach to each and every application to determine its strengths for the best chances of approval.
You see, Smarter Finance USA is a broker with around 40 lenders in its network. This means that with just a single application, you get the help of a lending specialist on the Smarter Finance team, who will then review your qualifications and do their best to find a lender willing and able to issue funding. Now, although there are no minimum requirements, I would recommend a minimum credit score of at least 600 to broaden your financing options.
Visit the Smarter Finance USA website to learn more or to apply. Financing is available for nearly any business equipment, including commercial vehicles and heavy machinery such as trucks, bulldozers, backhoes, and cranes.
In selecting the best business startup loans, I focused on criteria that would provide the most benefits for new business owners. This included flexibility of qualifications, competitiveness of rates and terms, funding speeds, customer reviews and ratings, and loan programs offered.
If you’re unable to get or find a loan that’s suited for your needs, you still have other options to get money. Borrowing funds from a lender isn’t the only option available. You can consider getting funds from friends and family, tapping into your own retirement savings with a Rollover for Business Startups (ROBS), or applying for a personal loan for business purposes.
Yes, it can be difficult to get a loan as a startup because lenders know that newer companies have a high failure rate. There are lenders that specialize in funding startups, but be aware that you may not qualify for the lowest advertised rates and fees until you have a longer track record of success as a company.
It typically takes between 2 and 5 days to get a business startup loan. This depends on the complexity of your business finances, the lender you choose, and the loan program you’ve selected.
Common business loan requirements include your credit score, time in business, and annual business revenue. While these will vary based on the lender and loan program you’ve chosen, you should have an easier time getting approved with a credit score of at least 650, six months time in business, and an annual business revenue of $100,000 or more.
Andrew Wan is a subject matter expert in Small Business Finance at Fit Small Business. With over a decade of experience in mortgage lending, he was also previously a certified technician for various Apple, Dell, and Microsoft products, and is now lending his expertise to TechRepublic and Technology Advice. Andrew holds a California real estate broker license.
