Grow.ly

What Grow.ly does

Grow.ly is a Spanish peer-to-business (P2B) crowdlending marketplace that connects SMEs seeking alternative financing with individual investors seeking higher-yield lending opportunities. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Madrid, the company has operated since October 14, 2016 as a Plataforma de Financiación Participativa (PFP) authorized by the CNMV under registration number 7 and Law 5/2015. The platform has formalized over €32.2 million in loans across more than 500 projects spanning 15 of Spain's 17 autonomous communities, with an average financed borrower profile of €6 million revenue, 42 employees and 18 years of operating history. Loan tickets range from €6,000 to €500,000 with terms of 1 to 48 months.

The platform's core technology is a web-based auction-based lending marketplace where investors bid on quantity and interest rate for each published loan request, with final pricing set at the volume-weighted average of accepted bids. Credit assessment combines external rating agency reports with Grow.ly's own 1-10 internal rating scale and final Risk Committee approval. Payment processing and wallet infrastructure are operated by Lemon Way (a French ACPR-accredited payment institution), with investor funds custodied at Banco Sabadell. The platform has expanded its product surface through partnerships with Spanish mutual guarantee societies (IBERAVAL SGR, CREA SGR) to offer partially and fully guaranteed loans, including 100%-guaranteed cultural-sector loans under RDL 17/2020.

Grow.ly monetizes through three transactional revenue streams: a contracting fee charged to borrowing companies on loan principal at disbursement, a 0.85% annual + VAT administration fee on outstanding capital charged to investors, and late-payment management fees. The go-to-market combines a self-serve online marketplace with a channel of financial consultants, brokers and business advisors (Grupo SIME, Negobank, EML Gestion, AF-Financement) that refer SMEs. In June 2022, Grow.ly completed the first merger of two CNMV-authorized PFPs in Spain by combining with StockCrowd IN, reaching a combined financed volume of approximately €50 million and adding a real estate loan vertical; the merged entity is led by Mireia Badia (formerly Grow.ly CEO) as General Director and Sergi Pallarès (formerly StockCrowd IN) as President, operating with a lean core team of 6 plus an integrated board.

Name

Grow.ly

Legal name

GROW.LY Plataforma de Financiación Participativa S.L.

Website

https://grow.ly

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grow.ly is a CNMV-authorized Spanish peer-to-business crowdlending platform that connects SMEs seeking financing with individual investors via an online auction-based marketplace. Since 2014 it has facilitated over €32 million in loans across 500+ projects, and in 2022 merged with StockCrowd IN.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Lending Marketplace

NAICS

Sales Financing (522220)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

P2P Small Business / SME Marketplace Lending (FSAKAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

SME Term Loans & Growth Capital (FSAKAGAB)

Keywords

• Peer-to-business lending
• Crowdlending platform
• SME financing
• Alternative lending
• Debt crowdfunding

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Loan contracting fees (promoter/platform fee): Grow.ly charges promoters (borrowing companies) a contracting fee calculated on the principal of the loan based on the term. This fee is only charged if the loan is contracted, at the time of disbursement.
2. Administration fees (investor fee): Grow.ly charges investors an annual administration fee of 0.85% + VAT on the outstanding capital at the beginning of each period. This fee is only charged if the investor receives the complete monthly loan payment. For SGR-guaranteed loans with lower interest rates, this fee may be reduced or waived.
3. Late payment management fee: A fee is charged for each unpaid installment, as specified in the 'Rates and economic conditions' document. The moratorium interest rate paid to investors is the nominal rate of the unpaid installment plus a 5% differential.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Grow.ly operates a CNMV-authorized P2B (peer-to-business) crowdlending marketplace that connects Spanish SMEs seeking financing (€6,000–€500,000, terms 1–48 months) with individual investors. Loans are priced through an investor auction mechanism and serviced via automated Lemon Way wallets, with repayments distributed using French amortization.

Product overview

Grow.ly is a CNMV-authorized P2B (peer-to-business) crowdlending platform that operates as a unified marketplace connecting SMEs seeking financing with individual and institutional investors. The core offering consists of the Grow.ly Crowdlending Platform, through which SMEs publish loan requests ranging from €6,000 to €500,000 with terms of 1–48 months, evaluated via a dual-layer risk assessment (external rating agency plus internal risk committee). Loans are priced through a competitive auction mechanism where investors bid on quantity and interest rate, with final loan rates set at the volume-weighted average of accepted bids. The platform distributes repayments across investors using automated wallet infrastructure via Lemon Way. A supplementary product line comprises SGR-Guaranteed Loans (IBERAVAL, CREA) that offer 50–100% coverage, reduced risk profiles, and preferential terms including grace periods and zero administration fees. Additional modules include investor auto-bid automation for accredited investors, multiple amortization scheduling options (monthly, quarterly, bullet, grace period), and portfolio diversification tracking tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grow.ly Crowdlending Platform Web-based P2B crowdlending marketplace that connects SMEs seeking financing with individual and accredited investors through an auction-based pricing mechanism, integrated risk assessment, and automated repayment distribution via Lemon Way wallets.
• Grow.ly SGR-Guaranteed Loans Loans backed by mutual guarantee societies (SGRs) such as IBERAVAL and CREA offering 50–100% coverage of the loan amount, available up to €500,000 with terms up to 48 months including grace periods for cultural sector operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 32.2 million euros in total loans formalized since inception
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, flagship and minor.

• Lemon WaycoreTechnology or Integration · 24 December 2012Lemon Way is a payment institution accredited by ACPR in France (since December 24, 2012) with CIB 16568, registered with the Bank of Spain as a foreign community payment entity operating in Spain without establishment. Lemon Way processes all payments between investors and companies, holding investor funds at Banco Sabadell. The partnership enables automated transactions with individual wallets for each platform user.
• Mazars AuditorescoreOthersMazars Auditores S.L. is the external auditor of Grow.ly's accounts, providing independent financial statement verification as required by regulation.
• IBERAVAL SGRmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBERAVAL SGR is a mutual guarantee society (non-profit financial entity) whose main shareholders include Junta de Castilla y Leon, Unicaja, Cajabank, Bankia, Banco Sabadell, and BBVA. Grow.ly signed a collaboration agreement to offer loans guaranteed by IBERAVAL with various coverage percentages. In case of default, IBERAVAL purchases the unpaid amount corresponding to the guaranteed percentage within 90 days of first default.
• CREA SGRmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCREA SGR is a mutual guarantee society backed by EGEDA (31%), ICAA (25%, Ministry of Culture), and Madrid City Council (21%). Specializes in audiovisual, cultural, and digital content sectors. Grow.ly partnered to offer 100% guaranteed loans under RDL 17/2020 for the cultural sector with 4-year terms, 18-month capital grace periods, and 1.5% interest rates. No administration fee charged on these loans.
• StockCrowd INflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn November 2021, Grow.ly announced its fusion with StockCrowd IN, the first fusion of PFPs in Spain, approved by CNMV in June 2022. StockCrowd IN specializes in real estate loans and was authorized by CNMV as PFP number 24 with over 15 million euros in loans over 3 years. The combined entity reached nearly 50 million euros in total financed volume. The merged company operates under StockCrowd IN's license.
• Barrabes InternetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarrabes Internet co-founded Grow.ly in 2014 as a strategic technology partner. It is one of the original founders and collaborators in establishing the platform.
• ENISAminorOthersENISA (Empresa Nacional de Innovacion) certification indicating Grow.ly as a certified innovative company. ENISA is a state-owned company under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism that supports innovative SMEs.
• AF-FinancementminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAF-Financement is listed as a collaborator/partner, providing financing solutions and referring companies to Grow.ly. Associated with ACCIO (Catalan Business Development Agency).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mintos: Mintos is a European marketplace lending aggregator offering consumer, business, and real estate loans across multiple originators. It is a broader incumbent with overlap in the SME/crowdlending category and competing for pan-European retail investors.
• Funding Circle: Funding Circle is the largest global P2P/SME lending platform operating across the UK, US, Germany, and the Netherlands. While it does not focus on Spain, it represents the scaled benchmark for the SME crowdlending model Grow.ly operates.
• LendingClub: LendingClub is the largest US-listed peer-to-peer lending platform. While focused on US consumer rather than SME lending, it is the global benchmark for marketplace lending business models and a reference point for the category.

Direct peers

• October (formerly Lendix): October is a pan-European P2B lending platform operating in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. It competes directly with Grow.ly in the Spanish SME market and shares the crowdlending model under EU regulation.
• Housers: Housers is a Spanish CNMV-authorized real estate crowdfunding platform. After the StockCrowd IN merger, Grow.ly now overlaps with Housers in the Spanish real estate finance vertical and shares the same PFP regulatory and retail-investor base.
• MytripleA: MytripleA is one of the leading CNMV-authorized Spanish P2B crowdlending platforms for SME lending. It directly competes with Grow.ly for both Spanish SME borrowers and retail/accredited investors, operating under the same PFP regulatory framework.
• Fellow Funders: Fellow Funders is a Spanish CNMV-authorized PFP offering P2B lending and equity crowdfunding to SMEs. It targets the same Spanish SME borrower base and individual investor audience as Grow.ly under the same Law 5/2015 regulatory regime.
• StockCrowd IN: StockCrowd IN was a CNMV-authorized Spanish PFP (registration #24) focused on real estate loans that merged with Grow.ly in June 2022. It is the closest historical peer given its overlapping regulatory status and similar investor/SME target market.

Others

• Lemon Way: Lemon Way is the payment institution that processes all Grow.ly transactions and holds investor funds. While not a direct competitor, it is a critical infrastructure partner — comparable ecosystem participant that many peer PFPs also rely on.

Regional players

• Circulantis: Circulantis was a Spanish P2B invoice and SME financing platform operating in the same regulatory and competitive environment as Grow.ly, serving a similar Spanish SME base for working capital financing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/grow_ly
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUGDBFX5Co0472PgB1UJrQw
• Facebookfacebook.com/plataformagrowly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grow-ly

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

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 Grow.ly