Pulse
Pulse is an API-first SaaS fintech platform providing real-time financial intelligence and unified lending infrastructure for SMEs, banks, lenders, brokers, and accountants via open-banking and open-accounting integrations. Headquartered in London with Mumbai operations, it combines AI-driven credit decisioning and cash-flow forecasting with embedded lending, supported by ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Pulse does
Pulse is an API-first B2B SaaS fintech company, founded in 2016 and headquartered in London with operational roots in Mumbai. It provides real-time financial intelligence and unified lending infrastructure to SMEs, banks, lenders, brokers, and accountants, connecting fragmented accounting and banking data through open-banking and open-accounting APIs into a single decisioning layer. The platform combines a Unified Lending Interface (ULI), an AI-driven credit decisioning engine (Einstein aiDeal) that processes approximately 95% of applications in under 45 seconds, Embedded Lending infrastructure, and a Loan Origination/Management System (Pulse LOS/LMS) on the lending side, with a Business Insights platform comprising aiPredict (12-month cash-flow forecasting), DebtorIQ (accounts-receivable intelligence), and OneView (financial-health dashboard) on the analytics side.
Underlying the stack is a proprietary data asset of 360B+ data points across 7M+ connected businesses, with stated 85% coverage across accounting software and 90% adoption among target users. The platform is ISO 27001:2022, ISO/IEC 27701, SOC 2 Type II certified and GDPR-compliant, targeting regulated financial institution procurement. Distribution combines self-serve (myinsights.mypulse.io with a 14-day risk-free trial), direct enterprise sales to banks and lenders, an API/developer portal, and partner/embedded channels (Binq, LoanTube, Tide, Natwest, iwoca, Funding Circle, White Oak, Pollen Street, M&G, Castlelake, PIMCO, Portman, ISB).
Pulse operates a horizontally segmented go-to-market across four primary buyer groups — Banks/Lenders, SMEs, Accountants/Advisors, and Brokers/Intermediaries — monetizing through SaaS subscriptions, transaction and usage-based fees on credit decisions and loan processing, and API/integration services. Headcount stands at 51-100 employees. In October 2025 the company acquired UK-based Nucleus Commercial Finance (estimated Rs 450-500 crore) to bring SME loan origination and servicing in-house, followed by a $130.8M funding round led by Castlelake in November 2025, all structured around a planned Rs 1,000 crore IPO targeted for 2026. Chirag Shah serves as CEO and Founder.
Pulse firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pulse
- Legal name
- Pulse
- Website
- https://mypulse.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Pulse is an API-first SaaS fintech platform providing real-time financial intelligence and unified lending infrastructure for SMEs, banks, lenders, brokers, and accountants via open-banking and open-accounting integrations. Headquartered in London with Mumbai operations, it combines AI-driven credit decisioning and cash-flow forecasting with embedded lending, supported by ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pulse industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Lending Infrastructure Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- SME Lending Platforms & Embedded SME Credit (FSAKAGAJ)
Keywords
Where Pulse is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pulse business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SaaS Platform Subscriptions: Pulse operates primarily as a SaaS fintech platform offering subscription-based access to its Unified Lending Interface, Business Insights platform, and AI-powered modules (aiPredict, DebtorIQ, OneView). Pricing includes a 14-day risk-free trial with quote-based enterprise pricing.
- Transaction and Usage-Based Fees: Revenue is generated through transaction fees on loan decisions, credit assessments, and API usage across the embedded lending ecosystem. The platform's loan application processing (average 45 seconds credit decision) and embedded finance capabilities generate per-transaction revenue.
- API and Integration Services: Revenue from API access fees for open banking and open accounting integrations, developer support, and technical integration services enabling partners to embed Pulse's capabilities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | 14-Day Risk-Free Trial |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Pulse product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pulse provides a cloud-based financial intelligence and unified lending platform that combines its Unified Lending Interface (ULI) for the full lending lifecycle with a Business Insights Platform powered by AI and Open Banking/Open Accounting data. It sells SaaS subscriptions, transaction-based lending fees, and embedded finance APIs to banks, lenders, brokers, accountants, and SMEs, enabling automated credit decisions (~45 seconds), 12-month cash flow forecasting, debtor risk monitoring, and seamless loan origination, servicing, and management.
Product overview
Pulse is a Business Insights Platform for Real-Time Financial Reporting that offers a platform-plus-modules architecture combining unified lending infrastructure with financial analytics capabilities. The core offerings include Pulse ULI (Unified Lending Interface) which connects lenders, brokers and businesses through standardized workflows for origination, underwriting, and loan management; Einstein aiDeal for AI-powered credit decisioning; Embedded Lending for embedding financial services; and the Business Insights Platform comprising aiPredict (cash flow forecasting), DebtorIQ (accounts receivable intelligence), and OneView (financial health monitoring). The platform leverages Open Banking and Open Accounting data to power real-time decision-ready intelligence.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ULI (Unified Lending Interface): Standardized interface connecting lenders, brokers and businesses for the entire lending journey
- Einstein aiDeal
- Embedded Lending
- aiPredict
- DebtorIQ
- OneView
- Pulse LOS
- Pulse LMS
- Business Insights
Products and services
- Pulse ULI (Unified Lending Interface)
Quantifiable outcome
- Loan application time reduced to under 333 minutes
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Pulse
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Pulse technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability7 records
Feature11 records
Pulse partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Nucleus Commercial FinancecoreMumbai-based Pulse acquired UK-based Nucleus Commercial Finance, a digital SME loan originator and servicer, at an estimated valuation of Rs 450-500 crore. The acquisition is structured ahead of Pulse's planned Rs 1,000 crore IPO in 2026. Nucleus is owned 46% by Prestige Capital Fund, 35% by Pulse promoter Chirag Shah, and remainder by employees. The combined entity targets Rs 500 crore in turnover with Nucleus aiming to grow originations by over 200% while doubling revenues in 12 months leveraging Pulse's infrastructure.
- BinqminorUK fintech app using AI and open banking to help SMEs make smarter financial decisions from funding to insurance to banking in one place. Partnership enables Binq to offer wider range of fast, flexible funding options through Pulse and Nucleus integration.
- LoanTubeminorUK-based loan comparison platform connecting consumers with multiple lenders for real-time personalised loan offers without affecting credit scores. Embedded finance partnership delivers instant, transparent funding outcomes at point of enquiry.
- TideminorUK business banking partner providing banking services integration with Pulse financial insights platform.
- ISB (Indian School of Business)minorAcademic institution partner providing financial research and educational collaboration opportunities.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pulse competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- iwoca: European SME finance company providing flexible lending solutions. Listed as a Pulse lending partner, iwoca is a direct competitor in the SME lending/embedded credit space, with overlapping customer base and similar use cases for SMEs and accountants.
- Funding Circle: UK business lending platform integrated with Pulse's ecosystem. Directly comparable as an SME-focused digital lender using data-driven underwriting, with overlapping broker and SME target customers.
- Codat: API platform connecting lenders to SMEs' accounting and banking data. Closely comparable product layer to Pulse's Open Accounting/Open Banking integrations, targeting the same lenders and fintech builders.
- Tide: UK business banking platform listed as a Pulse partner. Comparable as an SME-focused fintech providing banking + financial insights, with overlapping target customers and partner ecosystem.
- TrueLayer: Open banking API provider enabling lenders and fintechs to access bank data. Comparable as an underlying data-infrastructure layer powering lending decisions and embedded finance experiences.
Broad incumbents
- Plaid: Global open banking/data connectivity incumbent. Operates at a similar layer to Pulse's data integrations but at much larger scale; represents the broad incumbent threat in financial data connectivity.
- OakNorth: UK SME lending bank offering data-driven underwriting and credit decisioning. Broad incumbent in the SME credit analytics space with similar AI-driven risk assessment capabilities.
Others
- Xero: Cloud accounting platform that Pulse integrates with via Open Accounting APIs. Adjacent infrastructure provider feeding Pulse's data layer, also offering its own SME financial insights.
Regional players
- Clearco: Revenue-based financing platform for SMEs with heavy data-driven underwriting. Comparable technology stack but with North American geographic focus vs. Pulse's UK/India footprint.
Emerging players
- Allica Bank: UK challenger bank focused on SME lending and business banking. Comparable SME target segment and use of data analytics for credit decisioning, though with a more bank-led model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pulse social profiles
Digital presencePulse compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Pulse financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pulse leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Pulse subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Pulse funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pulse M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pulse
What does Pulse do?
Pulse provides a cloud-based financial intelligence and unified lending platform that combines its Unified Lending Interface (ULI) for the full lending lifecycle with a Business Insights Platform powered by AI and Open Banking/Open Accounting data. It sells SaaS subscriptions, transaction-based lending fees, and embedded finance APIs to banks, lenders, brokers, accountants, and SMEs, enabling automated credit decisions (~45 seconds), 12-month cash flow forecasting, debtor risk monitoring, and seamless loan origination, servicing, and management.
Is Pulse a public or private company?
Pulse is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pulse founded?
Pulse was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Pulse based?
Pulse is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Pulse make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SaaS Platform Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are transaction and Usage-Based Fees and API and Integration Services.
Who are Pulse's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are iwoca, Funding Circle, Codat, Tide and TrueLayer. Broad incumbents are Plaid and OakNorth. Xero is listed as an others. Clearco is listed as a regional player. Allica Bank is listed as an emerging player.
Does Pulse have an API?
Yes. Pulse offers enterprise-grade APIs connecting Open Banking and Accounting in regulated environments. The API enables developers to build lending applications, access financial data, and integrate with the Pulse ecosystem. Documentation and developer support are available through the /developers and /docs endpoints. Developer documentation is at mypulse.io/docs.
What industry is Pulse in?
Pulse's product category is Lending Infrastructure Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAGAJ, SME Lending Platforms & Embedded SME Credit. Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7370.