Pretup
PretUp is a French PSFP-licensed crowdlending platform (founded 2015, Nancy) that connects 44,897+ individual retail investors with French SMEs seeking growth, real estate, and franchise financing via projects from €20, having deployed €61M+ across 715 loans.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersDommartemont, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Pretup does
PretUp (legal entity SAS Unitup) is a French crowdlending platform founded in 2015 in Nancy that connects individual investors with French small and medium-sized enterprises seeking growth, working capital, real estate, or franchise creation financing. The platform has financed 715 projects since inception, deploying €61M+ to SMEs while returning €54M+ to lenders, and operates a registered base of 44,897 retail lenders who can participate from a €20 minimum per project at gross rates of 7–11%. Underwriting is handled by a small in-house team using a proprietary 10-point credit scoring methodology (risk classes A–E) backed by Banque de France FIBEN data, CrediSafe monitoring feeds from INSEE/INPI/BODACC, and GAN Assurances death-disability/business-failure coverage. The core stack includes Lemon Way for payment processing and KYC/AML, Boost PretUp (a GIPP-regulated automated lending module licensed by the ACPR), and the legacy Unilend platform (acquired December 2018, merged into PretUp by August 2025).
The business model monetizes exclusively on the borrower side through platform fees and the spread between borrower interest rates and lender returns, with no entry, management, or exit fees charged to investors. PretUp holds an AMF PSFP license (FP-2024-7) under EU Regulation 2020/1503, making it one of a limited number of platforms legally permitted to operate crowdlending in France. Distribution combines a self-service digital platform with a channel partnership through Access Credits Pro, France's first national SME financing broker network, and distribution leverage from its parent Spartfin Group (Partners Finances, Crédistor — the #1 French credit restructuring broker with 500+ group employees). The platform reports only ~5% of pre-selected companies are accepted for publication and 4,600+ jobs created or preserved since 2015, positioning the service as a curated alternative-investment channel with a social-impact narrative aimed at French retail capital seeking yield above traditional savings instruments.
Pretup firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pretup
- Legal name
- SAS UNITUP
- Website
- https://pretup.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PretUp is a French PSFP-licensed crowdlending platform (founded 2015, Nancy) that connects 44,897+ individual retail investors with French SMEs seeking growth, real estate, and franchise financing via projects from €20, having deployed €61M+ across 715 loans.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pretup industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Crowdlending / Peer-to-Peer SME Lending
- NAICS
- Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)
- SIC
- Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Real Estate / Property-Backed Marketplace Lending (Non-mortgage) (FSAKAHAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Pricing, Risk-Based Offer & Limit Management (FSAGAHAE)
Keywords
Where Pretup is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dommartemont
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pretup business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Platform fees from borrowers: PretUp generates revenue by charging fees to SMEs that receive financing through the platform. The platform is free for lenders (no entry fees, exit fees, or management fees). Fees are paid by the borrowing companies seeking funding.
- Interest spread: The platform sets interest rates for borrowers based on their credit rating (A to E scale) and loan duration. Higher-rated companies receive lower rates while riskier companies pay higher rates. The spread between borrower rates and lender returns constitutes platform revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free investor account with 0€ minimum investment per project |
| Other | Monthly | Interest rates from 7% to 11% annually for investors |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Pretup product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PretUp operates a regulated French crowdlending marketplace that connects individual investors with French SMEs needing growth, working capital, or real estate financing. Lenders invest from €20 per project across manually selected or automated portfolios, earning 7–11% gross annual interest, while PretUp monetizes via fees charged to borrowing companies and the spread between borrower and lender rates.
Product overview
Pretup operates a unified crowdlending platform (with the acquired brand Unilend in run-off) enabling direct lending from individuals and businesses to French SMEs. The core Pretup platform offers manual project selection and lending from €20 per project, while Boost PretUp is a regulated add-on module providing automated portfolio management (GIPP). Both products sit within the same platform interface and share back-end services including Lemon Way payment processing and CrediSafe monitoring.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Boost PretUp: Automated lending tool (GIPP - Gestion Individuelle de Portefeuille de Prêts) that automatically invests funds according to user-defined criteria, approved by ACPR as a regulated portfolio management service.
Products and services
- PretUp Crowdlending Platform Regulated crowdlending marketplace enabling individual investors to lend directly to French SMEs (growth, working capital, franchise creation, and real estate projects) from €20 per project, earning 7–11% gross annual interest with monthly distributions. The platform is free for lenders and monetizes via borrower-side fees and the interest spread.
- Boost PretUp (Automated Lending / GIPP) Regulated automated portfolio management service (Gestion Individuelle de Portefeuille de Prêts) that invests user funds across PretUp-financed SME projects matching predefined criteria (risk class, rate, duration, geographic sector). Free, disablable at any time, accessible from €20.
Quantifiable outcome
- 44,897 registered lenders and 715 projects financed since 2015
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Pretup
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Pretup technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Pretup partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and regional.
- Access Credits ProcorePartnership with Access Credits Pro, France's first national network of business financing experts, to offer SME borrowers a rapid, simple, and innovative financing solution. With 85%+ agreement rate and 500M€+ financed across 2,000+ projects, the network provides referral pipeline for borrowers seeking alternative financing beyond traditional bank loans.
- GAN AssurancesminorInsurance partnership with GAN for Death-Disability insurance and guarantee against business failure risk (restructuring and judicial liquidation) for financed projects.
- Lemon WaycorePretUp partners with Lemon Way for all payment flow management. Lemon Way is Europe's leading payment solutions provider, supporting over 200 crowdfunding sites with full transaction security guarantees. Lemon Way is an ACPR-regulated payment institution (n°16568) headquartered at 8 rue du Sentier, 75002 Paris.
- LornTechregionalLornTech is a regional tech initiative under the French Tech label, representing a shared ambition between public and private actors serving the digital ecosystem and Lorraine economic development. PretUp participates in promoting Lorraine's digital fintech ecosystem as part of this network.
- Banque de France (FIBEN)corePretUp uses and contributes to the FIBEN database (Fichier bancaire des entreprises - Bank database of enterprises), managed by Banque de France. FIBEN provides company credit ratings assessing ability to meet financial commitments over a 3-year horizon. Used for analyzing published loan applications.
- Financement Participatif France (FPF)corePretUp is a member of Financement Participatif France (FPF), a 1901 law association representing collective promotion and defense of participatory finance actors' rights and interests, particularly vis-à-vis regulatory authorities. Signatory of FPF code of ethics, enabling access to arbitration mechanism for dispute resolution.
- CrediSafecoreCrediSafe is used for post-funding monitoring of financed companies. It provides automated alerts on changes in company solvency using data from INSEE, INPI, BODACC and other official sources. Daily alerts notify analysts of significant events such as management changes, asset sales, or collective proceedings.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pretup competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Mintos: Latvia-based global P2P lending marketplace aggregating loans from multiple originators across consumer and SME segments. Operates at much larger scale than PretUp but shares core marketplace lending DNA.
- Funding Circle: UK-headquartered SME lending platform operating across UK, US, Germany and the Netherlands. Comparable SME marketplace model with institutional and retail lender participation, but at substantially larger scale.
- LendingClub: US-listed pioneer of online direct lending marketplace, now bank-partnered (LC Bank). Most established global benchmark for P2P lending marketplace model, albeit concentrated in consumer rather than SME credit.
Direct peers
- Credit.fr: French crowdlending platform focused on SME and real-estate professional financing, regulated under EU Regulation 2020/1503. Closest head-to-head competitor in French SME P2P lending.
- October: European SME lending platform (formerly Lendopolis) operating across France, Spain, Italy, and Germany. Direct peer in cross-border SME debt marketplace lending with institutional and retail lender participation.
- WeShareBonds: Belgian crowdlending platform licensed under EU Regulation 2020/1503, focused on European SME bonds and loans. Comparable regulated SME marketplace model targeting retail investors.
- Look&Fin: Belgian-origin P2P SME lending platform operating in France and Benelux. Comparable model connecting individual investors with SME borrowers under European regulatory framework.
- Younited Credit: Paris-headquartered credit marketplace offering consumer and SME loans funded by individual investors. Comparable business model — French-licensed, marketplace-based lending with retail investor participation.
- December (formerly Lendix): French crowdlending marketplace connecting investors with European SMEs, operating under EU Regulation 2020/1503. Directly competes with PretUp in French SME debt origination and lender acquisition.
Emerging players
- Companisto: Germany's leading crowdinvesting platform offering equity, silent participations and SME loans. Adjacent model in European SME alternative finance, with overlapping investor base and regulatory framework.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pretup social profiles
Digital presencePretup financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pretup leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Pretup subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Pretup funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pretup 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 Pretup
What does Pretup do?
PretUp operates a regulated French crowdlending marketplace that connects individual investors with French SMEs needing growth, working capital, or real estate financing. Lenders invest from €20 per project across manually selected or automated portfolios, earning 7–11% gross annual interest, while PretUp monetizes via fees charged to borrowing companies and the spread between borrower and lender rates.
Is Pretup a public or private company?
Pretup is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Pretup founded?
Pretup was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pretup based?
Pretup is headquartered in Dommartemont, France, in the Europe region.
How does Pretup make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Platform fees from borrowers are the primary driver. The others are interest spread.
Who are Pretup's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Mintos, Funding Circle and LendingClub. Direct peers are Credit.fr, October, WeShareBonds, Look&Fin, Younited Credit and December (formerly Lendix). Companisto is listed as an emerging player.
Does Pretup have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pretup.
What industry is Pretup in?
Pretup's product category is Crowdlending / Peer-to-Peer SME Lending. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAHAG, Real Estate / Property-Backed Marketplace Lending (Non-mortgage), with a secondary code of FSAGAHAE, Pricing, Risk-Based Offer & Limit Management. Its NAICS code is 522 and its SIC code is 6163.