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Dear frontier tech startup founders and VCs: We wrote this post for you.

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Founder & CEO, Overlap Holdings

“What do debt investors look for when financing a frontier tech startup?" That’s the question we’ve been asked the most over the past year - so in our first newsletter of 2024, we decided to answer it. Simply put, there are four roads to debt financing for a frontier tech startup. 💵 Road #1: Positive cash flow — This is the most common and obvious one; unfortunately it’s a while away for most frontier tech startups. Once your company DOES start generating a profit, you’re likely to be a strong candidate for financing from a large pool of lending providers. However, if you’re not putting real effort into negotiating with multiple lenders at that stage, you’re still leaving value on the table. ⚙ Road #2: Collateral-based loans — If your startup uses machinery and robotics, you can probably get an equipment-based collateral loan. Large receivables balance? You might be able to get what's called “trade finance,” or a receivables loan. If you have saleable intellectual property/patents, you can work with an IP-based collateral lender. 📋 Road #3: Total Enterprise Value (TEV) loans — Also known as “venture debt,” this is a loan based on a company's overall valuation. It’s typically the first form of lending startups come across. 📈 Road #4: Revenue-based loan — This is for companies that do not yet generate positive free cash flow, but have a growing revenue base of viable customers. Because these lenders are taking on a higher risk, they’ll charge a higher interest rate on the debt and also require substantial equity warrants. Interested in learning more? Buckle up and enjoy the ride! #vc #deeptech #debtfinancing #startup

The Four Roads to Frontier Tech Debt Financing

The Four Roads to Frontier Tech Debt Financing

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