How to fund a startup business?
Funding a startup comes down to matching your stage to the right capital source: pre-revenue founders mostly rely on savings, investors, and credit cards, while startups with even a few months of revenue unlock real lending options, including working capital products, equipment financing, and eventually SBA loans. Here's the truth most funding sites bury: the majority of lenders want 3-6+ months in business and actual revenue before they'll lend. Chasing loans you can't get yet burns weeks you don't have. The fix is knowing exactly what's available at your stage, which is what Quordx Capital's lender matching is built to answer.
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Last updated · Reviewed by Cody Dreis
50+ Lenders|Funding in as little as 24 hours
What's Realistic at Each Startup Stage
Pre-revenue: Traditional lending is mostly off the table. Realistic moves include personal savings, friends-and-family capital, business credit cards (approvals lean on your personal credit), and equipment financing with a down payment, since the asset secures the loan. SBA microloans (up to $50K, issued through nonprofit intermediaries) are also designed for very early businesses.
3-6 months of revenue: Alternative lenders open up. Typical minimums: 3-6 months in business, roughly $10K+ in monthly revenue, personal credit from around 500-550 for revenue-based products. Working capital loans and smaller lines of credit become genuinely attainable.
Investor-backed with strong revenue trajectory: Venture debt ($500K-$5M+) extends your runway without giving up more equity.
Two or more years in, 650+ credit: SBA 7(a) loans (up to $5M, current variable rates roughly 10.5%-14%) offer the best long-term pricing, including for startups and acquisitions with typically 10% down.
Startup Funding Products Quordx Capital Brokers
Equipment financing: ($5K-$5M+): Best for startups that need vehicles or machinery; the collateral does the qualifying, new or used.
Business credit cards: Best for early expenses while building business credit history.
Working capital loans: ($5K-$500K): Best once revenue is flowing; fast, short-term, operational.
Venture debt: ($500K-$5M+): Best for funded startups stretching runway between rounds.
How Quordx Capital Works
Rather than researching fifty lenders' startup policies yourself, you submit one application in about five minutes. Quordx Capital's matching process weighs your time in business, revenue, and credit, then matches you to 3-7 lenders, drawn from 50+ vetted partners, including those with appetite for startups, ranked by how likely each is to approve you. Decisions typically arrive in 24-48 hours; funding in 3-7 business days.
What to Expect
Expect candor above all. If you're pre-revenue with no collateral, Quordx Capital will tell you that loan options are thin and point you toward what is workable, not string you along. If you do qualify, you'll see every term and fee before signing anything. The matching service is free to you, always, with zero obligation.
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No obligation · Initial inquiry doesn't impact credit · Takes about 10 minutes
Written by
Cody Dreis
Founder, Quordx Capital
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Important Disclosures
Quordx Capital is a business funding broker, not a lender. We facilitate introductions between U.S. small and medium-sized businesses and lenders or capital providers in our network. All credit decisions, funding amounts, rates, fees, repayment terms, and timelines are determined solely by individual lenders based on their own underwriting criteria.
Funding figures and timelines shown on this page are illustrative and represent ranges within our lender network, they are not guarantees and individual outcomes may vary based on business profile, industry, time in business, revenue, credit history, and lender availability. Not all applicants qualify for every product.
The initial inquiry does not impact your personal credit score. Some lenders may perform a hard credit pull during underwriting; Quordx only authorizes such checks with your specific consent for the lender presenting an offer. Applicants are protected under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, or because all or part of an applicant's income derives from any public-assistance program.
This Site is intended for commercial, business-purpose financing for U.S. businesses only. Not available for consumer loans, residential mortgages, or owner-occupied real estate. Quordx may receive compensation from lenders when applications result in funded transactions. This does not change the rate, fee, or terms offered to you. See our Advertiser Disclosure for details.
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