Think Business Loans

What Think Business Loans does

Think Business Loans, trading as Think Business Finance Limited, is a UK commercial finance broker that matches small and medium-sized UK businesses with suitable lenders from a panel spanning high street banks, challenger banks, and alternative lenders. The company was established in the Bionic Services Group and is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (reference 724300). Its core product set comprises Asset Finance, Business Mortgages, Secured Business Loans, and Unsecured Business Loans, supplemented by the ThinkApp digital customer portal for application tracking. The Recovery Loan Scheme, a prior pandemic-era government-backed product, closed for new applications on 30 June 2022.

The company's core technology is the proprietary iFunds matching platform, which compares submitted business profiles against lender criteria and surfaces suitable offers. Account managers then guide applicants through correspondence, documentation, and funding, with the company aiming to deliver funds within 24-36 hours of receiving complete information. Soft credit checks are used during the matching stage to avoid leaving footprints on the applicant's credit file until a full application proceeds.

Think Business Loans operates a sales-led, affiliate referral revenue model, earning commission from lenders on originated deals via four disclosed structures: fixed fees, fixed commission rates, percentage of the amount borrowed, and rate-for-risk arrangements. Loans start from £1,000 minimum with terms and rates determined by credit profile, loan type, and chosen lender. Distribution runs through direct online applications, phone-based sales, and the lender partner network, with marketing concentrated on the company's direct website and Trustpilot review accumulation. The company is headquartered in London (registered office at 5th Floor, 9 Appold Street, EC2A 2AP) and reports having funded over £450 million to UK businesses across 250,000+ businesses served and 5,000+ completed applications since inception.

Name

Think Business Loans

Legal name

Think Business Finance Limited

Website

https://thinkbusinessloans.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Think Business Loans is a UK commercial finance broker that matches small and medium-sized UK businesses with suitable lenders via its iFunds matching platform and a panel spanning high street, challenger, and alternative lenders. It earns commission on originated asset finance, mortgages, and secured/unsecured loans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Finance Brokerage

NAICS

Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (522310)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

SME Business Lending (Term Loans, Lines of Credit, Overdrafts) (FSABABAB)

Keywords

• Business finance broker
• Commercial lending
• Asset finance
• Business mortgages
• SME loan comparison

Headquarters

HQ city

Chelmsford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Commission from Lenders: Think Business Loans receives commission from lenders when loans are originated. Different commission models are used: fixed fee, fixed rate of commission, percentage of the amount borrowed, and rate for risk.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Think Business Loans is a UK commercial finance broker that matches small and medium businesses with suitable lenders from its panel of high street banks, challenger banks, and alternative lenders. Using its proprietary iFunds matching technology, the company gathers business information from applicants, compares loan options, and assigns dedicated account managers to handle all application correspondence through to funding.

Product overview

Think Business Loans is a business finance broker offering a comparison and brokering service for UK businesses. The core offering consists of five main finance products: Asset Finance, Business Mortgages, Secured Business Loans, Unsecured Business Loans, and the now-discontinued Recovery Loan Scheme. The company operates through its ThinkApp digital platform and iFunds matching technology to connect businesses with suitable lenders from their panel. Think Business Loans functions as an intermediary, comparing options across hundreds of lenders to find appropriate finance solutions for businesses, with account managers guiding customers through the application process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asset Finance Asset finance allows businesses to buy new and used machinery, vehicles, or equipment, spreading the cost over time. Businesses can also release cash from the value of assets they already own.
• Business Mortgage A long-term secured loan used to invest in business property such as factories or premises. Funding is typically available for 70-75% of a property's value with repayment terms of up to 25 years.
• Secured Business Loans Loans secured against business assets such as commercial property, vehicles, and machinery. The borrowing amount is based on the value of available assets and the business's current circumstances.
• Unsecured Business Loans Business loans that do not require any security or collateral. Acceptance and terms are based upon the business's credit score, and are typically used for cashflow or buying stock.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• High Street BankscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner lenders in the panel that provide various business finance products including loans and mortgages
• Challenger BankscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner lenders in the panel offering alternative business finance solutions
• Alternative LenderscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner lenders in the panel providing non-traditional business finance options
• Bionic Services Group LimitedcoreOthersParent company. Think Business Finance Limited is part of the Bionic group which also includes Bionic Financial Services, UK Power, Business Save International, and Smart Utility Management. The group is owned by Smile BidCo Limited, Smile MidCo1 Limited, Smile MidCo2 Limited and Smile TopCo Limited.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Funding Circle: UK-headquartered SME lending platform providing business loans directly to small businesses; overlaps with Think Business Loans' core SME finance target market and provides a direct alternative to broking. Comparable in product (unsecured and secured business loans), customer segment (UK SMEs), and use cases (working capital, growth).
• iwoca: UK-based fintech providing flexible credit lines and business loans to SMEs; competes directly with Think Business Loans for the same unsecured business loan and working capital use cases, and offers an alternative to broking via direct origination and its 'lender network' aggregator.
• Capify: UK SME working capital provider offering unsecured business loans and merchant cash advances; directly overlaps with Think Business Loans on short-term working-capital products for small UK businesses and represents another direct alternative to broking.
• Fleximize: UK-based alternative business finance provider offering flexible SME loans and asset finance; competes with Think Business Loans' asset finance and unsecured business loan products for UK SMEs and serves as both a peer and a potential panel lender.
• Rangewell: UK business finance broker matching SMEs with lenders across secured, unsecured, and asset finance; directly comparable to Think Business Loans as a UK business finance broker with panel-based distribution and similar products (asset finance, business loans, commercial mortgages).
• LendingCrowd: UK peer-to-peer business lending platform providing secured and unsecured loans to SMEs; comparable in target customer and product (UK SME business loans) and serves as an alternative channel to broking, similar to other UK alternative lenders in TBL's panel.

Emerging players

• Tide: UK digital business banking and SME lending platform; overlaps with Think Business Loans in the UK SME finance target segment and increasingly embeds credit products that could disintermediate the broker layer. Comparable on customer and use case (UK SME working capital).
• Swoof Finance: UK business finance broker and comparison platform focused on SMEs; directly comparable to Think Business Loans as a UK-focused commercial finance broker with a panel model and overlapping product categories (asset finance, business loans, commercial mortgages).

Broad incumbents

• British Business Bank: UK government-backed development bank enabling finance markets for smaller businesses; comparable to Think Business Loans in the broad UK SME lending category and operates/influences many of the government-backed schemes (e.g., Recovery Loan Scheme) that TBL brokers.
• Lloyds Bank Business Banking: UK high street bank providing business loans, overdrafts, and commercial mortgages; comparable as one of the panel lenders Think Business Loans works with and offers overlapping products (business loans, commercial mortgages) for UK SMEs via direct channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ThinkBizLoans

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Think Business Loans