4 Tips for Getting a Startup Business Loan With No Money

Last updated June 3, 2025

If you’re ready to find funding to start your business but you’re wondering whether you can get a business loan without any actual revenue to show, then you’re in the right place. You may already be aware that getting a loan as a startup business is no easy task.

Small business loan

options for startups tend to be limited, and when you do find them, repayment terms are typically short and interest rates are almost certainly higher than they are for more established businesses.

But don’t be discouraged! We’re going to walk you through four steps you can take to increase your chances of getting a startup business loan with no money. We’ll also outline the types of business loans worth considering if you’re a newer business with little to no revenue to show at this point.

And if you’re ready to forge ahead and apply for funding for your startup, we can help you with that, too.

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Tips to Help You Get a Startup Business Loan With No Money

1. Understand What Lenders Are Looking For

In general, most lenders—

banks

, credit unions, and

alternative lenders

—focus on three main factors when considering your business loan application:

Credit Score

Your personal credit score typically plays a large role in determining whether or not you qualify for a particular business loan. In general, the higher your score (think, 690 and above), the more loan options will be available to you—and with better rates and terms.

If you’re a new business and/or you have little to no revenue at this stage, then you’ll want your credit score to be as high as possible to open some loan options for you.

Time in Business

More traditional lenders like banks and credit unions almost certainly want to see at least two years of established business history before considering extending a loan. Thankfully, the online (nonbank) lending market is thriving, and many of these lenders have more flexible qualification requirements than their more traditional counterparts.

Startups are typically defined as businesses open fewer than two years, so if you’re on this page, then you likely fall into this category. If you have a strong personal credit score and at least six months in business, you’ll have some loan options to consider.

Annual Revenue

And here it is, the thing you may be concerned will stop you from getting a small business loan. With few exceptions, business term loans and business lines of credit will require at least some revenue to qualify. If you can prove as much as $50,000 in annual revenue, then several more options open up.

Ultimately, a lender is looking for signs and assurances that you’re a creditworthy and responsible borrower who is likely to pay back your loan—on time and in full. So, even if you don’t tick all the boxes on these factors, there’s still hope. In our fourth tip below, we’ll dive into some other strengths you can highlight in your loan application to increase the lender’s confidence in you.

2 . Research Your Loan and Lender Options

Since your options for getting a business loan with no money will be limited, it’s in your best interest to do some research to determine which lenders consider applications from startup businesses with little to no revenue. You’ll likely find your options are mostly limited to online lenders that offer equipment financing or invoice financing, as well some microlenders. More on each of these below.

Many online and alternative lenders list some, if not all, of their qualification criteria on their websites. Once you determine the loan type that best fits your needs and circumstances (see the next section below to help you), it shouldn’t be a heavy lift to put together a shortlist of lenders that consider borrowers with little to no business history and revenue.

3. Confirm You Can Repay a Business Loan

This step is key, so don’t skip it! Taking on debt is a big responsibility, and it can get away from you if you haven’t done the upfront work to crunch the numbers and really feel confident that you’ll be able to repay a loan.

Some quick internet searches will turn up a number of free online calculators that prompt you to enter a few details—such as the type of loan, the total loan amount, the loan repayment term, and annual percentage rate (APR)—before generating your projected loan payment. Many of these calculators can even estimate your total monthly payment for you. View these estimated monthly payments alongside your monthly cash flow statements to determine whether you can reasonably afford the payments.

4. Highlight What You Can Offer Instead of Revenue

Finally, since you know annual revenue is a missing slice of your creditworthiness pie, you’d do well to consider pumping up your application with one or both of the following.

Collateral

If you have physical business assets, like property, inventory, or equipment, consider offering that as security for your loan. Meaning, if you default on your loan (end up not being able to pay it back), then the lender is able to seize the asset you’ve pledged as collateral to recover some of their losses. Some lenders may be willing to give on the annual revenue requirement if they know they have the security of collateral backing your loan.

Cosigner

Another option to put the lender’s mind more at ease with lending to a startup business owner who has no revenue is to add a cosigner on your loan. This is a trusted person who agrees to take over payment of your loan in the event you’re unable to pay it. If you elect to have a cosigner on your loan, choose someone with stellar credit and finances, and be sure they fully understand their personal risk in agreeing to cosign your loan.

Types of Business Loans for Startups With No Revenue

Equipment Financing

This is a strong option for consideration if you’re seeking a loan to purchase equipment, machinery, or even hardware and software for your business. With

equipment financing

, the equipment itself serves as collateral, so many lenders in this space have more accessible requirements to qualify.

Invoice Financing

This option lets you sell your unpaid invoices to an invoice financing company in exchange for a high percentage of the total invoice value (usually 80% to 90%) in the form of immediate cash. Once your customer pays the invoice, you repay the financing company, plus a fee (usually 1% to 5% each week the invoice goes unpaid).

Invoice financing

is a solid solution for business-to-business companies that deal in a lot of invoices, especially those that tend not to be paid on time. And similar to equipment financing, the invoices act as collateral to secure the loan.

Microloan

microloan

is pretty much what it sounds like—a loan for a relatively small amount (most max out at $50,000). Many microlenders operate in the nonprofit sector and are more lenient on qualification requirements. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which offers some of the most sought-after business loans, even offers a microloan program. If you only need a small injection of cash to get your new business off the ground, consider a microloan.

Business Credit Card

While not what you immediately think of when you think of a business loan, a credit card does operate much like a loan, particularly a line of credit. The benefit of applying for a business credit card rather than a loan is that qualification requirements are a lot simpler to meet: As long as you have strong personal credit, you should be able to qualify. Plus, it can help you

build business credit

, which will in turn open up more funding options for you down the road. Bonus: You can choose a card that offers cash back and other rewards.

Just be sure to pay your bill each month on time and in full (as you would a loan payment), otherwise you’re likely to get hit with outsized interest rates. It’s also important to note that the credit line on a business credit card is likely to be much lower than you may get with a loan, usually capping out around $50,000.

Fundera Can Help

We’re here to take some of the work of finding a startup business loan off your plate. We partner with a number of online lenders who are open to working with startups, even those with little or no annual revenue.

Answer a few questions—with no impact to your credit score and free of obligation—to see which business loans you qualify for.

Let’s get you funded!