Unsecured Business Loans for Tech Companies
By Joshua Giles, Founder and Director · Reviewed by the CoreFi credit team
Last updated 20 July 2026
CoreFi is a broker, not a lender. We do not set rates and lenders make all credit decisions.
In short: £10k - £500k over 1 - 5 years. Debt beats equity when you can service it.
Debt beats equity when you can service it. For a profitable SaaS business or one with strong monthly recurring revenue, borrowing at, say, 8-15% a year is far cheaper than handing a VC 20% of your cap table in perpetuity.
The lenders who actually say yes to tech companies are not the high street banks. They are the challenger lenders and specialist revenue lenders who understand that a business with £40k MRR, low churn and 70% gross margins is a better credit than a bricks-and-mortar shop with twice the turnover. They underwrite on MRR, ARR, net revenue retention, churn rate and gross margin, not just your last set of filed accounts.
Loan sizes we place for tech businesses run from £10k up to £500k unsecured, over one to five years, with monthly repayments out of operating cash flow. No property charge, no equity dilution, no board seat. If your business is pre-revenue, we will tell you straight: this product is not open to you yet. Most unsecured lenders want at least two years of trading and real, recurring revenue before they underwrite. Pre-revenue founders should be looking at SEIS/EIS, innovation grants or R&D tax credit advances instead.
We are a broker, not a lender. We place your deal with the lender most likely to fund it; the lender sets the rate and makes the decision.
Key Benefits
- Keep your cap table exactly as it is: no dilution, no investor consent rights, no board reporting obligations
- Lenders in this market underwrite on MRR and net revenue retention, so a high-growth SaaS with a modest bottom line can still borrow
- No property security required, so a founder who does not own a home can still access up to £500k
- Faster to close than an equity round, with most decisions coming back in days rather than months of term-sheet negotiation
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I take a loan or raise equity?
If your business is profitable or generating consistent recurring revenue, debt is almost always cheaper in the long run. You give up nothing and the interest is a fixed, predictable cost. Equity makes sense when you are pre-revenue, burning heavily, or need a strategic partner as much as capital. We are a broker, not a financial adviser, but the maths on dilution is usually stark once you model it out.
Can pre-revenue startups get unsecured loans?
Realistically, no. Almost every unsecured lender in this market wants at least two years of trading and demonstrable revenue. If you are pre-revenue, the right products are SEIS/EIS equity rounds, Innovate UK grants, or Start Up Loans (note: Start Up Loans are a regulated consumer credit product and CoreFi does not broker them). Come back to debt once revenue is running.
What about R&D tax credit advances?
An R&D advance is a separate product where you borrow against your expected or confirmed HMRC R&D tax credit claim. It can sit alongside an unsecured loan or replace it, depending on the size of your claim. We have separate pages covering that product if it is relevant to your situation.
How much do lenders weight SaaS metrics versus traditional financials?
The specialist revenue lenders weight them heavily. Net revenue retention above 100%, churn below 2% a month, and gross margins above 60% all support a larger loan and better pricing. A business with strong SaaS metrics but modest net profit will often borrow more than a traditional business on the same turnover. No broker can promise a rate, the lender decides that, but the metrics you present matter enormously.
Work out your numbers
Related Funding Options
Unsecured Business Loans UK: £1k to £500k, No Property Security
Unsecured business loans from £1k to £500k for UK limited companies. No charge on your property. We broker these deals and can tell you which lenders are open to your sector & turnover.
Revenue-Based Finance for Tech & SaaS Companies
Non-dilutive growth capital for UK SaaS & tech businesses, sized against your MRR. As a commercial finance broker we place revenue-based finance facilities from £25k to £5M for founders who would rather sell product than sell equity.
R&D Tax Credit Advance for Tech Companies
UK SaaS and tech companies can draw 80-90% of an R&D tax credit claim weeks after filing instead of waiting six to twelve months for HMRC. We place R&D advances with lenders who assess the claim itself as security.
Business loans by location
Lender appetite varies by city and region. If you would rather start from where your business is based, these local guides cover the same funding with the local picture.
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Get matched with lendersCoreFi is a trading name of JG Core Ltd (Company #16218779, England & Wales). CoreFi acts as a commercial finance broker and does not provide regulated financial advice. All products described are unregulated business-to-business finance. Information on this page is for general guidance only and does not constitute a formal offer of finance. Terms, rates, and availability are subject to lender criteria and may change without notice.