Start Up Loans Reviews 

I had a very positive experience with Start Up Loans. The team was professional, supportive, and communicated clearly throughout the application process. They carefully reviewed my business plan and financial information, asking relevant questions to better understand my project rather than simply rejecting the application.
I really appreciated their willingness to find a practical solution by offering the loan in two instalments, which showed they genuinely wanted to help my business succeed while lending responsibly. The process has been transparent, fair, and encouraging. I would highly recommend Start Up Loans to anyone looking to start or grow a business in the UK.
Thank you to everyone involved for your professionalism, patience, and support. Your guidance has given me confidence to move forward with my business journey.

Excellent support and advice.

Great Service! Recommend 10/10

Suzy was very helpful, professional and made the process less stressful than anticipated
Highly recommended if you want to start a business

Company jumped on the application almost instantly and assigned a business advisor.

Unfortunately after this point trying to get in touch with them is impossible. No clear journey or even an update on what’s going on.

Waited almost 6 weeks with no communication at all. As soon as I withdraw I get a phone-call within 2 minutes with a full update.

If you want clarity avoid this company.

They were understanding and considerate. They helped achieve my dreams. There's service was prompt and application process, easy to use. I'll recommend them anytime especially with help from Kirat

The entire experience has been fantastic. Emily Lynch is a credit to your company and deserves the highest accolades. I actually come from a business background, so my standards and expectations are sometimes unreasonably high. She didn’t just meet them, she vaulted over them effortlessly. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement.

It goes without saying that launching a business, particularly after an extended trying time, is nerve-wracking and fills you with many questions and doubts. Applying for a loan simply amplifies all your misgivings. And although I have experience in the business world, all that experience was amassed in Canada, where I was raised and spent the majority of my adult life. As I have repeatedly found since returning to England (the country of my birth), navigating not only the business world, but the government and British institutions in general is like stepping into a new universe, and you find yourself tripping and making mis-steps that catch you completely by surprise and scratching your head. (And I’m sure the same holds true for British people crossing the Atlantic to Canada.)

So I made the application with a great deal of misgivings, trepidation, and feeling somewhat unnerved and intimidated. I kept waiting to make that fatal mis-step that would pull the rug out from under me.

Emily made that mis-step impossible. She guided me through the whole process with clarity and patience; making sure she explained every part of the process was clear and understandable. And willing to take the time to answer any questions I had. She earned my trust remarkably fast. And she spoke with me professionally, respectfully, and with great natural courtesy. Not once did I feel she was talking down to me or I was being condescended to. (Something I’m overly sensitive to because it’s a flaw of mine when I’m explaining things to people.)

So what started out as an intimidating and slightly frightening process ended up being remarkably pleasant and enjoyable. That is hands down to the credit of Emily, and I hope this comment gets her the recognition she deserves within the company. Thank you.

(And yes, this was written by myself without any AI assistance. I’m a writer by nature and profession. And I write so well everybody thinks I’m a computer now. 😄. But I assure you this was truly written from the heart, not the bot. 🙂)

The service has been seamless, the application was very straight forward and the assistance was superb, communication was very quick and helpful. Would highly recommend

The team was so helpful and responsive. Helped me with all my enquiries and the whole process was very quick and seamless. I can only recommend them.

An excellent experience from start to finish.

The Start Up Loan application process was thorough, professional and well organised. Communication was always clear, and any requests for additional information were explained in a helpful and constructive manner.

A special thank you to Samuel Okide, who was incredibly supportive, patient and responsive throughout the journey. His guidance and encouragement made what could have been a stressful process much easier to navigate, and I always felt informed about the progress of my application.

I particularly appreciated the professionalism, transparency and genuine commitment to helping me put forward the strongest possible application.

I am delighted that my Start Up Loan application was successful and would highly recommend the Start Up Loans programme to anyone looking to launch or grow a business.

Thank you again for all your help and support throughout the process.

Julia, who dealt with my loan application was really excellent and encouraging and made the process really accessible.

Rigorous, fair, and genuinely supportive. Emma and the assessment team engaged with real depth and care. Highly recommended for any early-stage founder serious about building something meaningful.

Jane was really helpful is the process of getting me up and running. It can be a tedious process but it’s definitely worth it in the end.

I had a really positive experience with Start Up Loans / British Business Bank. The whole process was clear and well explained, and the team were very supportive throughout.

Communication was great – whenever I had questions or needed to provide extra information, everything was handled quickly and professionally. Even when additional checks were needed, the advisors were helpful and kept me informed.

I’ve now had confirmation that my loan has been approved and funds released, which I’m really pleased with. It’s a great opportunity to help get my business up and running.

I’d definitely recommend them to anyone looking to start or grow a business.

I enjoyed high quality and professional services all through the process leading to the Approval from Ford my BA

The second loan application was just as great of an experience as the first. Zoe just made the process so much easier for me, and I can't thank her enough for how much help and support she's given me through both loan applications. Especially as someone who finds financial terminology very boggling! Thank you again!

Zoe Burke helped me through everything step by step a complete professional and honestly a very warm caring human being. Thank you Zoe.

Really positive experience from start to finish. The team made everything clear and easy to understand, and Peter at Enterprise NI was a big help with my business plan.
Communication was great throughout and the whole process felt straightforward. I’ve now been approved in principle and I’m looking forward to getting started.
Would definitely recommend.

Absolutely horrible experience with Start Up Loans. I have filled in my application and did a initial credit check which is always a soft one before submitting the application, but they did not let me know and did not have my consent that it would be a hard check and now they have ruined my credit score without me submitting my application and now I'm stuck and not being able to apply for a loan somewhere else. I have contacted them and they just ingnored me and now I'm following this up with a third party to remove this hard credit check which was done without my consent.

Start up loans, and in particular, Nicole, has been fantastic, from start to finish. They provided support and guidance through the whole application process. I was able to message them with any questions and always got a prompt reply. I can’t thank them enough.