Can you get business funding with under a year in business?

Six months is the real threshold for most revenue-based funding. Below six months the market thins out fast; below three months, commercial funding is essentially closed and you are looking at personal credit, equipment vendors or people who know you.

Time in business	What is realistically available
Under 3 months	Very little. Equipment vendor financing, personal credit, business credit cards.
3 to 6 months	A narrow set of funders. Small amounts, high factor rates, daily debits.
6 to 12 months	Most revenue-based funders and advances open up. Sizing still conservative.
12 to 24 months	Working capital and lines of credit come into reach. Pricing improves noticeably.
2 years and over	The full range, and the point where banks will take a call.

Why time in business matters so much

It is the cleanest predictor anyone has. A large share of businesses that fail do so in the first two years, and an underwriter with six months of statements cannot see a slow season, a seasonal peak, or how you handled a bad month. They are not doubting you. They are pricing an absence of information.

What moves the needle when you are new

Deposit consistency beats deposit size. Six months at a steady $28,000 reads far better than two months at $60,000 and four at $9,000.
One business bank account, used properly. If revenue is landing in a personal account, an underwriter cannot verify anything and will not try.
Zero negative days. At six months in, a single NSF carries far more weight than it would at three years, because it is a larger share of everything they can see.
Prior experience in the same industry. Not on the application form, but it comes up on the call, and it genuinely helps with the person making the decision.
Predecessor history. If you bought an existing business, the prior operating history sometimes counts. Bring the documentation.

What to avoid

The trap for new businesses is taking the first expensive thing offered because it is the only thing offered. An advance at a 1.5 factor on daily debits, taken at seven months in, is how a lot of businesses end up stacked by month fourteen. If the money is not buying something that pays for itself quickly, waiting until month twelve will cost you dramatically less than borrowing at month seven.

If you are close to a threshold, waiting six weeks to cross it is often worth more than any negotiation.

Questions owners ask

Does a startup with no revenue qualify?

Not for revenue-based funding, because there is nothing to underwrite. Equipment vendors, personal credit and SBA microloan programmes are the realistic routes.

Does my time in a previous business count?

Not toward the time-in-business requirement, which is measured on the current entity. It can help in conversation and on larger files.

Why do some funders say two years?

Those are usually term lenders and banks. Revenue-based funders and advance companies routinely fund from six months.

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General information, not financial or legal advice. Terms vary by lender and business.

Why time in business matters so much

What moves the needle when you are new

What to avoid

Questions owners ask

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