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Best startup business loans in October 2025
Updated September 16, 2025
on Daily Tech Finance
on Daily Tech Finance
on Daily Tech Finance
on Daily Tech Finance
on BusinessLoans.com
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Compare startup business loans
Daily Tech Finance collects the top lenders for startup business loans so you can compare their eligibility requirements, pros and cons, rates and other details.
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A closer look at our top startup business loans
Daily Tech Finance 2025 Award Winner Best lender for newer businesses: Taycor Financial
Taycor Financial stands out by supporting startups with just three months in the market, a rare find since most lenders want to see several years of operating history. Taycor Financial is also known for its equipment loans and leases, which offer up to 100 percent financing.
Pros and cons
- Approval time within hours
- Low credit requirements
- Large range of loan amounts
- High fees
- Longer application process for loan amounts above $400,000
- Potentially high factor rates
Best for fast funding: Fundbox
Fundbox focuses solely on its line of credit product that offers funding options up to $150,000 with three- or six-month terms and weekly repayments. Customers love its fast funding, offering approvals in just three minutes and funding within one business day.
Pros and cons
- Fast funds
- Fairly wide range of loan amounts
- Unsecured option
- Minimum annual revenue is somewhat high
- Non-sufficient funds fee
- Weekly fee makes rate comparison hard
Best for loan variety: Lendzi
Lendzi offers an array of business lending choices, from business lines of credit to SBA loans to merchant cash advances and invoice factoring. Its loans are flexible in loan sizes, reaching into the millions of dollars, and in terms, offering long-term loans up to 84 months. These features outpace the competition’s loans, which often stop at $250,000 for 24 months or less.
Pros and cons
- Fast funding
- High lending amounts
- Acesssible to a variety of borrowers
- Potentially high interest rates and fees
- Mixed loan details from representatives
Daily Tech Finance 2025 Award Winner Best lender for startups: OnDeck
OnDeck offers short-term loans and lines of credit with fast funding, allowing you to receive funding the same day you apply. Lines of credit also allow you instant access to new funding once you’re approved for the credit line, entirely taking away the wait to make your purchase.
Pros and cons
- Same-day funding
- Helps build business credit
- Relaxed eligiblity requirements
- High APRs
- Not available in all 50 states
Best for community support: Kiva
Kiva has revolutionized the lending industry, offering the chance to get a business loan from individual investors as a crowdfunding campaign. You raise funds for the loan and then repay over a period of three years or less. Kiva doesn’t require credit checks or a minimum amount of revenue, and you don’t pay any interest. You will need a strong personal network of people interested in investing in your business.
Pros and cons
- Zero percent interest on up to $15,000
- Aimed at underserved community
- No credit check
- Not a traditional loan
- Getting funds can take weeks
- Must do your own fundraising
Daily Tech Finance 2025 Award Winner Best CDFI for small business loans: Accion Opportunity Fund
Accion Opportunity Fund is on a mission to help disadvantaged small businesses get access to capital even when they’ve been turned down by traditional banks. About 90 percent of its customers are minority or low-income business owners. To deliver on equitable lending, AOF doesn’t post a minimum credit score, devoted to evaluating more than just your credit to approve you for its loans.
Pros and cons
- Low interest rates
- Helps minority businesses
- Mentoring and educational support
- Only offers a term and truck loan
- Only offers loan amounts up to $250,000
How we chose the best startup business loan lenders
Daily Tech Finance's trusted small business loan industry expertise
57
years in business
30
lenders reviewed
22
loan features weighed
770
data points collected
How to get a startup business loan through Daily Tech Finance
Ready to launch your small business dream? Daily Tech Finance is here to help you through the process. Here’s a detailed breakdown of finding the best startup loan for you and your business needs.
Determine if a startup business loan is right for your business
Startup loans can be a good option to get your business off the ground in the right circumstances.
Keep in mind that these types of loans tend to be risky for both the borrower and the lender, as startups are more volatile and have a higher chance of failure than more established businesses, as they are often testing new markets and ideas, and may not have the cash reserves that an older business does. As such, they tend to have higher requirements and fees attached to them.
Business startup statistics
48 percent of small businesses don’t make it past five years. It’s essential to find the right funding to help your business grow — without creating a cycle of debt or negatively impacting your revenue.
A startup loan might be right for you if:
- You have a good credit score and history. The better your credit score, the more likely it will be you’ll get approved and get a better interest rate.
- You have a good revenue stream or projection statement. If your business already has revenue, or you have data to back up how much it will make, lenders will be more likely to approve you for a loan.
- You know exactly how you’ll use the funds. If you can demonstrate to lenders how your funds will be used to grow the business, you’re more likely to use your loan productively and be able to pay it back.
- You need fast funds. Loans can be quicker to obtain than crowdfunding or grants.
- You can handle the higher interest rates and fees. Since startup loans are riskier, be prepared for more interest rates than a loan for an established business.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons of a startup loan.
Entrepreneurs should be mindful of loan terms and costs associated with taking on this burden. My recommendation is to choose the right lender, build a relationship with that lender, and start with a manageable loan amount to ensure you can prudently handle the debt and make timely payments that do not negatively impact your cash flow.Ryan Rosset, co-founder at business lender Credibly
What is a startup business loan?
Startup loans can help you get your business idea off the ground. Here’s what makes them stand out from traditional business loans.
Read nowCalculate how much debt your business can handle
Startups are in a uniquely precarious position when it comes to income, since you may not know how much you’ll bring in month to month while you get your business off the ground. This is why it’s crucial to only take on as much debt as you can manage, and prevent your business from becoming overburdened by debt before it can truly launch.
While with most business loans, you’ll base your repayment amount on your revenue projections, if you’re just starting out, you may want to base your loan balance on an outside source of income, such as another business, job or piece of collateral that you secure the loan with. This way, if you have a slow month, you’ll still be able to make the loan payment.
Calculating how much you can borrow can go one of two ways – either looking at the total amount of debt you can handle, or looking at how much monthly payment you can afford.
As a rule of thumb, your total debt shouldn’t exceed 36 percent of your annual business revenue. (If you aren’t sure of your revenue projections, you can adjust this to your personal income.) For example, if your business makes $30,000 in a year, then you shouldn’t take out more than $10,800 in total loans.
You can also work backwards from your monthly payment with a business calculator. For example, if the maximum monthly payment you can afford is $500, then, with a 9.00 percent APR, 3-year loan, you could borrow a maximum of $15,723.
How much can you borrow with a startup business loan?
Startup loans tend to have lower borrowing limits, as lenders see them as riskier than other loan types. Here’s how much you can expect to borrow.
Read nowMake sure you meet requirements
The exact requirements for a startup business loan will vary depending on the lender, but most will require:
- A minimum personal credit score (good or excellent credit will increase your chances of approval) of 600 to 700
- Minimum annual revenue of $50,000 to $100,000
- Minimum amount of time in business of three months to a year
- A personal guarantee, collateral or cosigner to mitigate the risk to the lender
- Operating in an approved industry, as lenders often won’t lend for businesses in a high-risk industries
Depending on your startup, your lender may also evaluate your personal income from other businesses or jobs to see if you have an alternative method of making your loan payments.
Business startup statistics
According to the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, community development financial institutions (CDFIs) were most popular with newer businesses, with over one in 10 (12 percent) applying for a loan there.
Documents needed for a startup loan
In addition to these requirements, lenders will also ask you for personal and business documents including, but not limited to:
- Balance sheet
- Business plan that includes market research, financial projections and a breakdown of how you’ll use and repay the loan funds
- Cash flow statements
- Copy of your company’s business license and formation documents from your state
- Personal and business tax returns from the past three years
- Personal guarantee
- Personal information, such as your name, address and Social Security number
- Profit and loss statements
- Recent personal and business bank statements
- Your company’s employer identification number (EIN)
Having these documents on hand can speed up your loan approval process and get you your funds more quickly.
Documents needed for a startup loan
From bank statements to P&L, here’s what you need to have when you apply.
Read nowPrequalify through Daily Tech Finance
Prequalify through Daily Tech Finance
When shopping for loans, consider prequalifying with us. Daily Tech Finance offers multiple benefits if you decide to prequalify on our site, including:
- Instant prequalification based on your credit profile
- Compare multiple lenders at once instead of one lender at a time
- No hard checks
- Get expert insights based on unbiased reviews and analyses
- Access loan information and applications in one place
- Build a profile you can access later in the process
Business startup statistics
According to the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, conventional banks and online lenders are the most popular sources of financing for companies that are two years old or less. Over one-third (36 percent) of newer businesses applied for credit at large banks, with 31 percent applying at small banks and 23 percent at online lenders.
How to compare startup business loans
Which kind of startup loan is right for you will depend on your business’s priorities. Though your options may be limited by your lack of time in business, you still have some options based on your needs. Here are some different types of startup loans and what factors to consider.
| Loan type | Definition | Factor ratings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term loans | Lump-sum loans with regular payments over a set time. | Time in business: ★★☆☆☆Revenue: ★★★☆☆Cost: ★★★★★Funding amounts: ★★★★★ |
|
| Lines of credit | Revolving credit that can be drawn from flexibly, with interest only charged on what you withdraw. | Time in business: ★★★☆☆Revenue: ★★★★☆Cost: ★★★★★Funding amounts: ★★★★☆ |
|
| SBA loans | Loans backed by the federal government with capped interest rates. |
Time in business: ★★★★★ Revenue: ★★★★☆ Cost: ★★★★★ Funding amounts: ★★★★★ |
|
| Equipment loans | Loans used to fund equipment, which is used as collateral to secure the loan. |
Time in business: ★★☆☆☆ Revenue: ★★★★☆ Cost: ★★★★☆ Funding amounts: ★★★★★ |
|
| Peer-to-peer lending | Platforms that pair investors with borrowers in order to secure funding. |
Time in business: ★★★★☆ Revenue: ★★★★★ Cost: ★★★★☆ Funding amounts: ★★★☆☆ |
|
| Business grants | Granted money that is given to qualifying businesses that apply, without the need to pay it back. |
Time in business: ★★★★★ Revenue: ★★★★★ Cost: ★★★★★ Funding amounts: Varies |
|
| Crowdfunding | Funding solicited by the general public, often using platforms like Kickstarter or GoFundMe. |
Time in business: ★★★★★ Revenue: ★★★★★ Cost: ★★★★★ Funding amounts: Varies |
|
Secured vs. unsecured startup business loans
Secured business loans can help you get approved for a startup loan more easily – at the risk of your collateral. Here’s everything you need to know about secured and unsecured startup loans.
Learn moreFrequently asked questions about startup business loans
- Small business loans
- Personal finance











