Easly
Easly is a Toronto-based Capital-as-a-Service fintech founded in 2019 that provides non-dilutive advances on Canadian SR&ED tax credits, ranging from $50K to $25M, to R&D-performing startups and mid-market companies that would otherwise wait months or years for CRA disbursements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Easly does
Easly is a Toronto-based Capital-as-a-Service fintech founded in 2019 that provides non-dilutive financing against Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits issued by the Canada Revenue Agency. The company's core product, Easly Advances, enables Canadian R&D-performing companies — from early-stage startups to mid-market firms — to draw up to 75% of their earned SR&ED credits on-demand throughout the year, in advance amounts ranging from $50,000 to $25,000,000, rather than waiting for annual lump-sum CRA disbursements that can take up to 18 months. Easly generates revenue through transaction-based interest and fees on these advances, with no personal guarantees required and standardized founder-friendly agreements.
The platform combines a self-serve online application portal (fundeasly.com) with inside-sales lending specialists who guide applicants through underwriting and funding. Supporting products include the Easly Calculator and SR&ED Calculator, which let prospects estimate advance and refund sizes. Easly has built channel distribution through formal partnerships with leading Canadian accelerators — Accelerator Centre (Kitchener-Waterloo) and ventureLAB (York Region) — and serves an SR&ED market with over 20,000 claimants annually and more than $3 billion in annual government disbursements.
Since inception, Easly has deployed over $300 million in capital across 500+ companies and 1,000+ advances, with two-thirds of advances going to repeat customers — indicating strong retention. The legal entity is ESFC Funding Co., LLC (Ontario), with an affiliated Easly Solutions Corp. The company has begun geographic expansion via a UK-dedicated website portal, signaling intent to replicate the Canadian SR&ED model in the UK R&D tax credit market. Leadership is headed by founder & CEO Minal Shankar, supported by an Executive Vice President (Alastair Nimmons) and a Director of Channel Accounts (Nikhil Rodye). Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees.
Easly firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Easly
- Legal name
- ESFC Funding Co., LLC
- Website
- https://fundeasly.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Easly is a Toronto-based Capital-as-a-Service fintech founded in 2019 that provides non-dilutive advances on Canadian SR&ED tax credits, ranging from $50K to $25M, to R&D-performing startups and mid-market companies that would otherwise wait months or years for CRA disbursements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Easly industry classification
Industry- Product category
- SR&ED Tax Credit Financing
- NAICS
- Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL) & Tax Advance Credit (FSAKAMAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Tax Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL) & Refund Advances (FSAKAOAG)
Keywords
Where Easly is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Easly business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SR&ED Tax Credit Financing: Easly provides non-dilutive advances on companies' earned Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits. Companies receive up to 75% of their accrued SR&ED credits on-demand throughout the year, with the advance repaid when the CRA disburses the actual tax refund. The company generates revenue through the interest/fees charged on these advances.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Advances from $50,000 to $25,000,000 on SR&ED tax credits |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Easly product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Easly provides non-dilutive advances on Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits earned by Canadian R&D companies. Through its Capital-as-a-Service platform, Easly Advances range from $50,000 to $25,000,000, allowing companies to access up to 75% of accrued SR&ED credits on-demand throughout the year rather than waiting for annual lump-sum disbursements from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
Product overview
Easly is a Capital-as-a-Service financing platform offering a suite of products centered around SR&ED (Scientific Research and Experimental Development) tax credit financing. The core offering consists of Easly Advances, which provide non-dilutive funding on earned SR&ED tax credits ranging from $50,000 to $25,000,000. This is complemented by the SR&ED Financing service and supporting tools including the Easly Calculator and SR&ED Calculator, which help businesses estimate their potential advances and refunds. The platform enables companies to access capital throughout the year as credits accrue, rather than waiting for annual CRA lump-sum disbursements, with funding available in as little as two weeks after approval.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Easly Advances Easly's core Capital-as-a-Service financing product that delivers non-dilutive advances on earned SR&ED tax credits ranging from $50,000 to $25,000,000, enabling Canadian R&D companies to access up to 75% of accrued credits on-demand throughout the year instead of waiting for annual CRA lump-sum disbursements.
- SR&ED Financing Tax credit financing service that leverages Canada's Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program to provide advances on accrued refundable SR&ED credits throughout the year, serving Canadian companies that earn refundable SR&ED credits from the CRA.
Quantifiable outcome
- $300+ million in capital deployed to Canadian innovative companies
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Easly
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Easly technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Easly partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ventureLABcoreEasly and ventureLAB announced a strategic partnership to bolster the innovation economy and support tech entrepreneurs across Canada. ventureLAB is a global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software companies located at the heart of Ontario's innovation corridor in York Region. The partnership enables more Canadian entrepreneurs to learn about and access government tax credit financing.
- Accelerator CentrecoreKitchener-Waterloo-based Accelerator Centre partnered with Easly to support their members in accessing SR&ED tax credit financing. Accelerator Centre is an award-winning organization named a top private business accelerator globally by UBI Global. The partnership enables more founders to leverage government tax credits for predictable cash flow and access capital sooner.
- NorthBridge ConsultantsminorEasly partnered with NorthBridge Consultants for expert opinion on how the 2023 CRA strike might affect SR&ED claims. NorthBridge Consultants is an SR&ED consulting partner who provides guidance on claim processing and refund timelines.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Easly competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tandem Funding: Tandem Funding offers R&D tax credit financing (including SR&ED) to Canadian businesses, overlapping with Easly on product, customer segment, and financing mechanic—non-dilutive advances against expected refunds.
- Boast Capital: Boast Capital is a Canadian fintech that provides SR&ED and other R&D tax credit financing to startups and growth-stage companies—directly competing with Easly in the same Canadian market with a similar non-dilutive advance product on government tax credits.
Others
- SR&ED Consultants (e.g., NorthBridge, MNP, BDO): Firms like NorthBridge Consultants and the Big 4 / mid-tier accounting firms prepare SR&ED claims for Canadian businesses and frequently partner with or refer to advance-finance providers such as Easly, making them ecosystem participants rather than direct competitors.
- KPMG Canada (SR&ED Practice): KPMG's Canadian practice includes SR&ED tax credit claim preparation and advisory, often paired with introductions to financing partners. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive but shapes borrower expectations and can refer or capture SR&ED financing flow.
- Deloitte Canada (SR&ED Practice): Deloitte offers SR&ED claim consulting and R&D advisory in Canada, overlapping with Easly on the SR&ED ecosystem. While Deloitte does not typically advance capital itself, the firm influences which financing partners its clients use.
Broad incumbents
- RBC (Royal Bank of Canada): RBC and other major Canadian banks offer SR&ED-backed lending products to business clients as part of broader commercial banking relationships. They compete with Easly on larger ticket sizes using lower-cost deposit funding, though they lack Easly's specialization and digital onboarding.
- Clearco: Clearco provides revenue-based financing to digital and tech businesses in Canada and beyond. While not SR&ED-specific, it addresses the same underlying need—non-dilutive growth capital for Canadian startups—making it a partial substitute in borrowers' capital stacks.
- Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC): BDC is a federal Crown corporation offering R&D and growth capital to Canadian SMBs, including SR&ED-backed financing. As a broad incumbent, it competes with Easly for larger borrowers but benefits from institutional cost of capital and a much wider product portfolio.
- Lighter Capital: Lighter Capital provides revenue-based financing and venture debt to tech and SaaS startups, similar in spirit to Easly's non-dilutive capital proposition. While US-focused, it competes for the attention of Canadian tech founders evaluating alternatives to equity raises.
Emerging players
- Arc (formerly known as liquidity provider for startups): Arc offers revenue-based financing and working capital products to early-stage tech companies, addressing the same founder pain point as Easly—avoiding dilution. While not SR&ED-specific, it competes for inclusion in startups' capital strategy and is expanding into Canada.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Easly social profiles
Digital presenceEasly financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Easly leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Easly funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Easly M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Easly
What does Easly do?
Easly provides non-dilutive advances on Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credits earned by Canadian R&D companies. Through its Capital-as-a-Service platform, Easly Advances range from $50,000 to $25,000,000, allowing companies to access up to 75% of accrued SR&ED credits on-demand throughout the year rather than waiting for annual lump-sum disbursements from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
Is Easly a public or private company?
Easly is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Easly founded?
Easly was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Easly based?
Easly is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Easly make money?
One revenue line is on record: SR&ED Tax Credit Financing.
Who are Easly's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tandem Funding and Boast Capital. Others are SR&ED Consultants (e.g., NorthBridge, MNP, BDO), KPMG Canada (SR&ED Practice) and Deloitte Canada (SR&ED Practice). Broad incumbents are RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), Clearco, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Lighter Capital. Arc (formerly known as liquidity provider for startups) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Easly have an API?
No public API is recorded for Easly.
What industry is Easly in?
Easly's product category is SR&ED Tax Credit Financing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAMAH, Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL) & Tax Advance Credit, with a secondary code of FSAKAOAG, Tax Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL) & Refund Advances. Its NAICS code is 522.