Secured lending for growing UK businesses — capital for expansion, acquisitions and working capital, without giving up a single share. Fixed-income discipline for investors; speed and clarity for borrowers.
For professional, high-net-worth & sophisticated investors only · Not open to retail investors
The structural shift is done: challenger and specialist banks now write 60% of UK SME bank lending — up from 39% in 2012 — and over two-thirds of all SME lending comes from outside the traditional high-street banks. Gross SME lending reached £68bn in 2025, and the fastest-growing share of it is non-bank credit.
Globally, private credit has passed $2 trillion in assets under management, with double-digit growth forecast for the next decade as borrowers choose speed and certainty over committee-driven bank processes.
Yet the gaps persist where they always were: smaller facilities, regional businesses, and firms whose value doesn't fit a high-street credit template. That is precisely where Found Credit lends.
Sources: British Business Bank, Small Business Finance Markets 2025/26; Moody's & PwC private credit outlooks, 2026.
We work with eligible investors seeking fixed-income exposure, and pair their capital with disciplined underwriting — financial analysis combined with operator insight.
We lend to businesses with strong fundamentals but short-term capital needs. Loans are backed by assets, revenue, or guarantees, with clear terms and transparent pricing from day one.
Borrowers invest, expand, or refinance without giving away equity — and repay over 2–5 years. Investors receive fixed returns and quarterly reporting throughout.
Private credit works especially well for founders who have a profitable or growing business but don't want to raise equity, need capital faster than banks allow, and want flexibility without dilution. It's built for:
Our borrowers are usually overlooked by banks — but thriving. We fund real people building real businesses across sectors like tech, services, finance, and health. Facilities are provided to limited companies and LLPs for business purposes only.
Borrowed to upgrade its tech stack and expand into a new city.
Secured funding for a sales team ahead of its next raise.
Refinanced a merchant cash advance at half the interest rate.
All without giving up a single share.
Found Credit lends directly where our criteria align. Where a business needs something different — asset finance, specialist products, grants or alternative facilities — we introduce borrowers to trusted partners.
The whole-of-market funding platform behind our Found Funding service — matching UK businesses against lenders, grants and tax reliefs across the market. One application, every option.
Specialist professions lender, part of the Close Brothers group, with decades of experience financing healthcare, dental, legal, accountancy and veterinary practices — from asset finance to tax and practice loans.
Introductions are made on a non-advised basis. Partners are independent firms, authorised and regulated where applicable.
Private credit doesn't just serve founders — it is also a strategy some investors use for:
Investors receive quarterly reports and benefit from deep due diligence, underwriting standards, and alignment with our long-term platform — including lending alongside the Practice Group's professional-services deal flow, where we know the borrowers' sector from the inside.
Participation is available only to professional investors, certified high-net-worth individuals and self-certified sophisticated investors (FSMA 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005), family offices, and institutional partners. It is not open to retail investors. This page is information, not an offer. Capital is at risk and returns are not guaranteed.
Lending that comes directly from investors or funds rather than traditional banks — typically secured loans with fixed interest. You might hear it called private debt, direct lending, or non-bank lending. The principle is the same: businesses borrow, repay over time, and keep 100% of their equity.
We introduce borrowers to trusted funding partners: Swoop's whole-of-market platform (which also powers our Found Funding service) and Braemar Finance, the Close Brothers group's specialist professions lender. One conversation still gets you to the right capital.
We focus on services-led SMEs — the businesses banks overlook. We combine financial analysis with operator insight, we move fast (applications to approval in under 10 days), and we don't punish founders for growth — we fund it.
Certified high-net-worth individuals and self-certified sophisticated investors as defined under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, plus family offices and institutional partners. Founder Capital LLP is not authorised or regulated by the FCA; nothing on this website is an offer to the general public.
Use the form below or email andy@foundercapital.co.uk with a short overview of your business and what the capital is for. Real conversations, not just credit scores.
Important information. Founder Capital LLP is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This page is provided for general information only. It is not, and should not be read as, an offer, invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity, nor as investment, financial, legal or tax advice. Any participation in investment opportunities is limited to persons to whom such opportunities may lawfully be promoted under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 — including professional investors, certified high-net-worth individuals and self-certified sophisticated investors — and will only proceed where a relevant exemption applies. These opportunities are not open to retail investors. Capital is at risk and returns are not guaranteed.
