Sincero
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSouth Shields, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sincero does
Sincero is an independent, FCA-registered commercial finance broker based in South Shields, North East England, founded in 2016 by Julie Skevington. The firm acts as an intermediary connecting UK SMEs with funding sources across high street banks, specialist lenders, alternative finance providers, and government grant programmes. Its offering is structured around six core product lines: Start-Up Loans (delivered through partnership with Transmit Start-Ups under the Government Start-Up Loans initiative, £1,000-£25,000 at 6% over 1-5 years with free mentoring), Growth Funding combined with R&D Tax Credit claims (delivered via Access2Funding on a No Win, No Fee basis), Asset Finance, Alternative Finance (crowdfunding, peer-to-peer, pension-led, merchant cash advances up to £50,000), Vehicle Finance, and Invoice Finance (factoring, discounting, single-invoice). Revenue is generated through lender commissions on successful placements and success fees on R&D claims, with no fees charged for start-up loan origination. Go-to-market is direct, founder-led sales supported by content marketing, LinkedIn presence, and referrals from the British Library BIPC network. Customer segments are predominantly SMBs and entrepreneurs within roughly three years of trading, with a primary geographic focus on North East England and stated reach into England and Scotland.
Sincero firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sincero
- Legal name
- Sincero Business Solutions Ltd
- Website
- https://sinceroltd.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sincero industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Finance Brokerage
- NAICS
- Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231)
- SIC
- Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- SME Term Loans & Growth Capital (FSAKAGAB)
Keywords
Where Sincero is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- South Shields
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sincero business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Commission from Lenders: Sincero earns commission from lenders and funding providers when they successfully place business funding. The company connects borrowers with appropriate funding sources and receives compensation from the lender side.
- Advisory Fees: No fees charged for start-up loan services or associated mentoring. R&D Tax Credit claims handled on 'No Win, No Fee' basis through partnership with Access2Funding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Start-up Loans: £1,000 to £25,000 at 6% interest over 1-5 years |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Sincero product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sincero is an independent FCA-registered commercial finance broker that helps UK SMEs access a range of business funding solutions, including government-backed start-up loans, growth funding, R&D tax credit claims, asset finance, alternative finance, vehicle finance, and invoice finance. The firm connects borrowers with high street banks, specialist lenders, and government grant providers, acting as an intermediary and earning commission on successfully placed funding.
Product overview
Sincero is a Commercial Finance Broker offering a portfolio of business funding solutions. The core offering consists of six main products: Start-Up Loans (government-backed unsecured loans via Transmit Start-Ups), Growth Funding & R&D Tax Credits (business loans and R&D claim assistance via Access2Funding), Asset Finance (equipment financing including hire purchase and leases), Alternative Finance (crowd funding, peer-to-peer, pension-led funding, merchant cash advances), Vehicle Finance (all vehicle types through strategic partners), and Invoice Finance (factoring, discounting, and spot invoice financing). The company acts as an intermediary broker accessing finance from high street banks, specialist lenders, and government grants. The products are delivered as advisory and brokerage services rather than a unified technology platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Start-Up Loans
Quantifiable outcome
- Average R&D Tax Credit claim of £28,500 with many customers receiving over £100,000 per year
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Sincero
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sincero technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sincero partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- British Library Business and IP Centres (BIPC)coreSincero has benefited from BIPC Newcastle via Citylife Business Support Programme, gaining access to Ann English for Visual Doodle marketing tools. BIPC North East expansion includes new centre at The Word in South Shields. BIPC has supported more than 14,000 new or expanding firms.
- Transmit Start-UpscoreWorking partnership with Transmit Start-Ups, a national delivery partner of the Start-Up Loans Company (Government initiative). Sincero guides clients through the application process for government-backed start-up loans of £1,000 to £25,000.
- Access2FundingcorePartnership with Access2Funding for R&D Tax Credit claims. Access2Funding are experts in writing the complex computations necessary to maximise R&D claims. The average claim is £28,500 with many customers receiving over £100,000 per year.
- Vehicle Finance Strategic PartnerminorStrategic partner for sourcing car and commercial vehicle finance. Through this partnership, Sincero can source finance for any make and model and obtain best manufacturer's discounts available in the UK, often well below main dealer prices.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sincero competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MarketFinance (Marketlend): UK business finance provider and broker offering invoice finance, business loans, and asset finance to SMEs. Overlapping product set and SME target base; serves as a partial competitor and a potential funding partner.
- Nucleus Commercial Finance: UK commercial finance broker serving SMEs with a multi-product funding offering spanning loans, asset finance, and invoice finance. Highly comparable intermediary-led business model with overlapping product categories and SME target market.
- 365 Business Finance: UK invoice finance and commercial finance broker serving SMEs with factoring, discounting, and asset-based lending products. Comparable in product overlap (especially invoice finance) and SME intermediary positioning.
- Capitalise: UK business finance marketplace connecting SMEs with lenders across multiple funding types including loans, asset finance, and invoice finance. Comparable as a multi-product SME funding intermediary, though with a more platform/tech-led delivery model.
- Rangewell: UK business finance broker/advisor helping SMEs navigate funding options across loans, asset finance, and equity. Comparable whole-of-market advisory approach and SME target customer, with a personal-advisor-led service model similar to Sincero.
- Funding Options: UK-based business finance broker matching SMEs with a wide lender panel across loans, asset finance, invoice finance, and growth capital. Operates a very similar whole-of-market brokerage model to Sincero, albeit with broader geographic reach and a more digitised funnel.
Broad incumbents
- Funding Circle: Established UK SME lending platform offering business loans directly to small businesses. Comparable SME target market and funding products, but operates as a direct lender/balance-sheet funder rather than a broker.
- Allica Bank: UK challenger bank focused on SME commercial banking, asset finance, and business lending. Comparable SME customer base and overlapping commercial lending products; serves as a potential lender partner and a partial competitor for direct SME relationships.
- HSBC UK Business Banking: High street SME commercial bank where Sincero's founder previously worked. Acts as one of the lender panel members Sincero places into, while also being a partial competitor for SME banking relationships via direct relationship managers.
- iwoca: UK fintech providing direct SME lending (small business loans and lines of credit). Not a broker, but a direct competitor for the SME loan demand Sincero intermediates, and increasingly a potential partner on Sincero's lender panel.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sincero social profiles
Digital presenceSincero financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sincero leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sincero funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sincero 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 Sincero
What does Sincero do?
Sincero is an independent FCA-registered commercial finance broker that helps UK SMEs access a range of business funding solutions, including government-backed start-up loans, growth funding, R&D tax credit claims, asset finance, alternative finance, vehicle finance, and invoice finance. The firm connects borrowers with high street banks, specialist lenders, and government grant providers, acting as an intermediary and earning commission on successfully placed funding.
Is Sincero a public or private company?
Sincero is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sincero founded?
Sincero was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sincero based?
Sincero is headquartered in South Shields, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Sincero make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Commission from Lenders are the primary driver. The others are advisory Fees.
Who are Sincero's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MarketFinance (Marketlend), Nucleus Commercial Finance, 365 Business Finance, Capitalise, Rangewell and Funding Options. Broad incumbents are Funding Circle, Allica Bank, HSBC UK Business Banking and iwoca.
Does Sincero have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sincero.
What industry is Sincero in?
Sincero's product category is Commercial Finance Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAGAB, SME Term Loans & Growth Capital. Its NAICS code is 52231 and its SIC code is 6163.