Fleximize

Revenue-based loans are a type of financing that provides alternatives to traditional business financing. Revenue-Based financing (RBF) leverages the business’s sales (revenue) and net profit margins to raise money for needs such as working capital, cash flow, inventory, growth, and emergency infusions of capital. Revenue-based financing agreements can be structured in multiple ways but usually is in the form of a business loan or business advance from a designated lender. The most common types of business funding products for revenue financing are short-term business loans, invoice financing (Factoring), purchase order financing, or future receivables sale and purchase agreements (also known as a merchant cash advance or business cash advance) and royalty-based financing. There are so many funding options to choose from with revenue-based financing -so let’s take a look.

The complexity of the landscape reinforces our view that “venture debt” is an umbrella term for many types of debt available to startups and other fast-growing businesses. We have identified more than 20 types of venture loans. These range from working capital revolvers to synthetic royalty loans, with most venture lenders providing more than one type. Determining the type of debt that is the best fit for a startup or other fast-growing business is case-specific. The table below provides general guidance for pre-revenue, SaaS, life science, and other businesses that should serve as a starting point for consideration. In the examples, we refer to “equity sponsor,” which means that the company has institutional shareholders such as a venture capital fund or private equity fund. Sponsored companies generally have access to more debt financing options. To obtain debt capital, pre-revenue startups need either collateral or venture capital sponsorship.