Startup share, not marketing claims
SBA lenders that actually fund younger businesses
Ranked by the share of funded SBA 7(a) records with known business age going to startups or businesses under two years old. The share uses the available record beginning in 2020. We also require at least 100 recent approvals to confirm the lender is currently active.
Most startup-friendly SBA lenders by approval share
| # | Lender | Startup share | Recent 7(a) loans | Median loan | Median rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 83.7% | 1,998 | $15K | 9.75% |
| 2 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 81.2% | 1,598 | $150K | 9.75% |
| 3 | Magnifi Financial CU | 70.6% | 223 | $234K | 10.25% |
| 4 | Citizens Bank | 68.6% | 474 | $490K | 9% |
| 5 | FWBank | 67.4% | 103 | $745K | 9.75% |
| 6 | KeyBank National Association | 66.3% | 1,124 | $100K | 9.24% |
| 7 | First Bank of the Lake | 66% | 988 | $373K | 10.25% |
| 8 | Climate First Bank | 65.3% | 228 | $715K | 9.75% |
| 9 | Bank Five Nine | 64.3% | 271 | $416K | 9% |
| 10 | ConnectOne Bank | 61.6% | 111 | $574K | 9.5% |
| 11 | United Community Bank | 59.9% | 237 | $540K | 7.5% |
| 12 | Atlantic Union Bank | 58.8% | 104 | $489K | 9.25% |
| 13 | Frost Bank | 58.7% | 131 | $340K | 7.25% |
| 14 | Sound Credit Union | 56.8% | 114 | $32K | 11.25% |
| 15 | Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB | 56.7% | 267 | $500K | 9% |
| 16 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 55.9% | 523 | $147K | 10.5% |
| 17 | Hancock Whitney Bank | 54.6% | 200 | $375K | 9.75% |
| 18 | Wallis Bank | 53.4% | 157 | $1.1M | 7% |
| 19 | 1st Source Bank | 53.3% | 113 | $85K | 7.75% |
| 20 | TowneBank | 51.7% | 294 | $624K | 9% |
How to use the ranking
- Shortlist lenders with meaningful startup activity.
- Check whether they lend in your state and industry.
- Compare your requested amount with the lender's normal approval range.
- Ask directly how they define a startup and what equity injection they expect.
A high startup share can also reflect small-dollar programs or a specific lender channel. Read the lender profile before treating the percentage as a fit signal.
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Start your funding profile →Methodology and sources
SBA records classify borrower business age. We divided funded 7(a) records identified as a startup or a new business of two years or less by funded records with a known business-age value across the available source window. We then excluded lenders with fewer than 100 recent approvals so the ranking reflects active programs.
- SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA dataset, data as of 2026-06-30
- Data retrieved and lender identities verified 2026-08-08
Not a lender or broker of record. Past lending activity is not approval criteria. Educational only. Not financial or legal advice.