Independent since 2015
Financing a small business in New York City
New York was one of the first states to require cost disclosures on commercial financing, and in 2019 it limited confessions of judgment. This is the page for anything specific to financing a business in New York City and New York State.
SBA 7(a) loans to New York City businesses, by year
Loans approved for five-borough borrowers each federal fiscal year. Lending more than doubled after 2022.
Get the data: the SBA loan counts on this page are available as free CSV downloads with a citation on SBA loans by borough.
NYC lenders, one page each
Rates, fees, requirements and SBA loan records for the lenders New York City owners ask about most. Weak credit? See bad credit business funding in NYC.
Nonprofit and CDFI lenders
Pursuit, Accompany Capital, Renaissance EDC, BOC Capital and Ascendus.
The busiest SBA lenders in the city
TD Bank, Chase, M&T Bank, Readycap and Newtek Bank.
SBA lender finder
Filter every SBA lender active in the five boroughs by borough, loan size and industry.
Funding a New York startup
For companies raising money rather than borrowing it: who raised this year, and the government programs that cost no equity.
NYC startups that raised money in 2026
77 rounds and $12.7 billion so far, with investors, neighborhoods and SEC Form D filings.
How to finance an AI startup in NYC
SBIR and NSF grants, New York matching grants, NY Ventures, tax credits and the city’s AI programs.
NYC startups by sector
A directory of 74 startups, plus AI, fintech, health tech, climate tech, crypto, robotics, automation, the venture firms that back them and the best startups to work for.
How to invest in NYC startups
Crowdfunding limits (with a calculator), accredited investor rules, NYC angel groups, portal fees and New York’s QETC tax credit.
Startup dilution calculator
Founder ownership after SAFEs, seed, Series A and B, using NYC round sizes.
Business valuation calculator
What a business is worth on 2026 multiples, and whether an SBA loan can buy it.
What New York does differently on financing
These are the New York rules to know if you have taken a merchant cash advance or are about to:
Confessions of judgment in New York
Since August 30, 2019, a funder cannot file one against a signer outside New York. In-state businesses are still exposed.
When an advance counts as a loan
The 16% and 25% usury caps, the three-factor test New York courts use, and the $1.065 billion Yellowstone judgment.
If a funder sues or freezes your account
The 20 and 30 day deadlines to answer a summons, how a bank restraint works, and where to get help in the city.
UCC liens in New York
How to search for a filing against your business, how long it lasts, and how to demand a termination.
New York MCA law tracker
Bills in Albany, laws in force, Attorney General and FTC cases, and the court rulings that decide whether an advance is a loan.
Yellowstone settlement lookup
Type your funder’s name to see whether it was one of the settled Yellowstone companies, one still in court, or neither.
Commercial financing disclosure
Since August 2023, funders must give you a standardized cost sheet with an estimated APR on offers of $2.5 million or less, merchant cash advances included. Check yours against the NY offer checker.
Where NYC businesses get funded
New York City has banks, credit unions, community lenders and SBA lenders on one side, and a large number of merchant cash advance brokers on the other. If you qualify with the first group, you will pay far less. The city also helps for free: NYC Small Business Services offers financing counseling through its NYC Business Solutions Centers. Already holding an advance offer? Run it through the MCA calculator to see the true APR before you sign.
“If I ran a shop in the five boroughs, I’d call the city’s free financing help and two community lenders before I returned a broker’s call. The NYC Future Fund charges 7.5%. A typical advance costs more than ten times that.”
Term loans, lines of credit, SBA and EIDL
What term loans, lines of credit and SBA loans cost, and who qualifies.
Small business loans in NYC
19 city, state and community loan options with loan sizes, rates and who qualifies, plus the banks making the most SBA loans here.
SBA loans in NYC by borough
7,597 loans and $3 billion since October 2019, counted from the SBA’s own loan file: by borough, lender, loan size and industry. One page per borough: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island.
SBA lender finder
Pick a borough, an industry and a loan size and see which banks made SBA loans like that, with counts, median loan and starting rate.
NYC Future Fund
The city loan of $25,000 to $500,000 at 7.5%, with payments tied to revenue: who qualifies, what it costs and how to apply.
NYC small business grants 2026
Every grant we could confirm on an official page, with amounts, who qualifies and whether it is open now. Checked monthly.
Merchant cash advances, explained
How a 1.4 factor rate turns into roughly 95% APR.
Restaurants, contractors, shops and trucks
Four kinds of business where the city’s own rules change what you need to borrow and when. Truck operators can also price Manhattan entries with the congestion toll calculator.
Restaurant financing in NYC
A $4,352 liquor license with a 22 to 26 week wait, gas and permit timing, and what 755 SBA loans to city restaurants show.
Contractor financing in NYC
Prompt payment deadlines, the 5% retainage cap, lien dates, and the city loan fund that charges up to 3%.
Financing a retail store in NYC
Lease guaranties, the commercial rent tax, license caps, and the loans shops here get.
Trucking company financing in NYC
265 SBA loans to city carriers and delivery firms, factoring against MCA, and how an advance’s lien can block your factoring.
Founders building here
The interview archive goes back to 2016: named founders, on the record, on how they built and paid for their companies.
Founder interviews
Long-form conversations with founders who built something in New York and elsewhere. On the record, named, unedited questions.