What Thinking Capital does

Thinking Capital, operating since 2006 and rebranded to Driven in 2022, is a Canadian alternative lender specializing in small and medium business financing under legal entity Driven Financial Technologies Corporation. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Purpose Unlimited and is headquartered in Toronto at 130 Adelaide St W, Suite 3100, with secondary operations in Montreal. It claims to be Canada's largest SMB lender, with over $1 billion lent to more than 17,000 Canadian businesses since inception, and serves customers through an all-digital platform with bilingual (English and French) support.

The product portfolio centers on a Driven Small Business Loan ranging from $10,000 to $500,000 with terms of 3 to 24 months, complemented by Driven Express Funding (up to $25,000), a Line of Credit, and Micro Loans. The underlying technology stack is an all-digital origination and underwriting platform featuring a self-serve application (under 10 minutes with no hard credit pull at pre-approval), secure bank-connection integration for automated financial assessment, dynamic monthly credit limit updates, and an online account management portal. Adjacent products include Driven Insights (a cash-flow automation tool, branded Intel par Driven in French) and the Driven Masterclass educational resource, all wrapped in the Balance Magazine content platform.

Revenue is generated primarily through interest on drawn capital under a transaction-based pricing model, with rates starting at 3.9 cents on the dollar for qualified borrowers (lower rates for credit scores above 750), flexible daily or weekly repayment, and no hidden fees. Go-to-market is product-led and direct-to-customer via owned digital channels, supplemented by advisor-assisted chat and partnerships (notably with Borrowell). Customer concentration is deliberately horizontal across diverse SMB verticals, with no broker intermediaries in the origination chain.

Name

Thinking Capital

Legal name

Driven Financial Technologies Corporation

Website

https://thinkingcapital.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Thinking Capital (rebranded to Driven in 2022) is Canada's largest SMB lender, providing all-digital small business loans of $10,000-$500,000, express funding, lines of credit, and micro loans to over 17,000 Canadian businesses since 2006, operating as a subsidiary of Purpose Unlimited.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Lending

NAICS

Commercial Banking (522110)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

SME Term Loans & Growth Capital (FSAKAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

SME Lending & Working Capital Platforms (FSAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Small business lending
• Alternative financing
• Working capital loans
• Fintech lending platform
• Business line of credit

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Small Business Loans: Term loans ranging from $10,000 to $500,000 with interest-based pricing. Pricing starts from 3.9 cents on the dollar for qualified borrowers. Revenue generated through interest payments on drawn capital with flexible repayment terms (daily or weekly payments).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thinking Capital (now operating as Driven) is a Canadian fintech alternative lender that provides working capital financing to small businesses, including small business loans of $10,000–$500,000, express funding up to $25,000, lines of credit, and micro loans, delivered through a fully digital application and automated underwriting process. The company supplements its lending products with a cash flow management tool, Driven Insights, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Purpose Unlimited.

Product overview

Thinking Capital (now branded as Driven) is a Canadian fintech company offering a unified platform of small business financing products. The core offerings include the Driven Small Business Loan (range $10,000-$500,000 with Express Funding up to $25,000), Line of Credit, and Micro Loans. These are complemented by the Driven Insights/Intel financial automation tool for cash flow management, a Business Loan Calculator for transparent pricing, and The Balance Magazine educational content platform. The brand transitioned from Thinking Capital to Driven in 2022 while maintaining the same product ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Driven Express Funding: Small business loan product offering funding up to $25,000 with quick access to capital.
• Driven Insights™
• Driven Masterclass
• The Balance Magazine

Products and services

• Driven Small Business Loan A working capital loan product for small businesses ranging from $10,000 to $500,000, underwritten through Thinking Capital's (Driven's) all-digital platform and aimed at Canadian SMBs that need growth or operating capital.
• Driven Express Funding A fast-track funding product offering up to $25,000 in working capital to small businesses through an expedited digital application and approval process.
• Driven Line of Credit A revolving credit facility made available to eligible Canadian small business borrowers through Driven's digital lending platform, providing flexible ongoing access to working capital.
• Driven Micro Loan A small-ticket working capital loan designed for businesses requiring modest financing amounts, delivered through the same all-digital underwriting process as the company's larger loan products.
• Driven Insights (Intel par Driven) A cash flow management tool that helps business owners monitor, forecast, and take control of their cash flow, offered as part of the Driven product suite for Canadian small businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 billion lent to Canadian businesses since 2006
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BorrowellminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBorrowell is listed as a partner, likely providing referral or co-marketing services. Borrowell is a Canadian fintech company offering credit monitoring and financial products.
• Purpose UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurpose Unlimited is the parent company of Driven Financial Technologies Corporation. It is described as one of Canada's leading financial services technology companies focused on customer-centric innovation and empowering people regarding their financial future.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fundbox: Fundbox provides SMBs with lines of credit and short-term working capital through an integrated digital platform, serving a comparable SMB segment with similar short-term, automated underwriting.
• Lendio: Lendio operates an SMB lending marketplace matching small businesses with multiple lenders via a streamlined digital application — comparable target customer and SMB-focused credit intermediation, though Lendio is more aggregator than direct lender.
• BlueVine: BlueVine provides online working capital, lines of credit, and term loans to SMBs via a digital platform. Highly comparable in product mix, SMB target market, and technology-driven underwriting model.
• OnDeck Capital: OnDeck was a leading online SMB lender offering term loans and lines of credit to small businesses via a fully digital application process — directly comparable in product, target customer, and digital-first GTM motion before its 2020 combination with Enova.
• Kabbage (now American Express Business Blueprint): Kabbage was a direct competitor in digital SMB lending with automated underwriting and fast funding to small businesses; comparable in product range, target segment, and tech-led underwriting approach before acquisition by American Express.
• Clearco: Canadian-founded fintech providing revenue-based financing and working capital to SMBs, particularly e-commerce and SaaS companies. Directly comparable as a Canadian SMB lender with a tech-driven, fast-funding model.

Broad incumbents

• Shopify Capital: Shopify Capital offers merchant cash advances and loans to Shopify's SMB merchant base in Canada and globally. Comparable in serving Canadian SMBs with embedded, fast-access financing, though as part of Shopify's broader commerce platform.
• Cantor Commercial Real Estate (loan products): Cantor and similar large diversified financial services firms offer SMB lending and credit products within broader capital markets franchises, providing a comparable lending product to SMBs at larger scale and with broader balance sheet support.

Emerging players

• Tala: Tala is a fintech lender leveraging alternative data and mobile technology to underwrite SMB and consumer credit in emerging markets. Comparable in its data-driven, digital-first underwriting approach to underserved credit segments.

Others

• Borrowell: Canadian fintech offering credit monitoring, personal loans, and financial products. Listed as a partner of Driven and comparable as a Canadian consumer/SMB fintech serving similar customer demographics with credit-adjacent products.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thinkingcapca
• Facebookfacebook.com/thinkingcapital
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1402251
• Instagraminstagram.com/driven_ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Thinking Capital