Start Up Loans Avaliações 

Karen who assisted my in this application was like our little fairy god mother. Helping us in anyway she could in the simplest way. She made something that’s not the most enjoyable or easiest of tasks to do a little bit brighter just by being so helpful xxx

STAY AWAY from them!!! They are liars, they change the terms of your agreement to suit their wants and they move the goalposts on your application. I secured £3750 in the first tranche of my loan then was denied the second tranche, lied to, told to reapply and then they purposely took too long to process the second application (8 months) then “timed me out” of accessing the finance I need.

I filed a complaint essentially to be told to “do one” in nicer phrasology with them claiming even after I submitted evidence that there was nothing untoward going on.

I have now collated and submitted 116 pages of evidence to the financial conduct authority and fingers crossed they hammer the start up loans company into the ground because I've been told im not the only person they have done this too, to be lied to directly is horrendous

They are an appalling source of finance, even the British business bank has had to consider investigating after terms had been changed on other peoples loans…and this is government backed but seemingly unregulated.

They will likely add a comment to this post trying to convince you that they operate within the law, if thats the case they wouldnt have so many complaints being placed against them, they also recently increased the interest rate to 7.5% STAY AWAY!!!

Excellent service from start to finish. Friendly support which was responsive and helpful.

startup loans have been very friendly and helpful in helping me to complete my application for my loan
many thanks

I applied for a government Start Up Loan on 7 July 2026, and GC Business Finance was assigned as my Business Support Partner. My wife and I are co-directors, so we each applied. On 15 October 2026, more than three months later and with no decision in sight, I withdrew my application and found funding elsewhere.

No continuity of service. In that time my case handler was away on three separate occasions of around two weeks each, roughly half the life of my application. Nobody else picked up my case while she was away, so it simply sat untouched. An organisation handling time-critical start-up funding should have cover in place.

Wrong information. I was told both directors’ applications had to be handled by the same partner. I was then told my wife’s application wasn’t with GC Business Finance, and that I should transfer mine to her partner because my handler was going on leave. This was wrong. My wife’s application had been with them all along. They couldn’t view it because of a technical issue that a single request to Start Up Loans would have fixed. Nobody made that request, and I lost more time acting on incorrect advice.

Endless document requests. Every time I asked for a status update, the reply was another request for documents. There was no complete list up front and no sense of progress towards a decision.

Escalations ignored. I escalated the delay twice through the British Business Bank. Each time it took weeks for GC Business Finance to respond. Even formal escalation through the government body running the scheme didn’t speed things up.

The end. Out of frustration, I finally messaged them to say they are supposed to help new businesses, not harass them. Then I withdrew. For a start-up, 14 weeks of lost time is extremely costly.

My advice to others: if GC Business Finance is assigned as your Business Support Partner, keep a written record of every request and reply. Ask at the start who covers your case when your handler is away. If things stall, don’t wait months as I did. Contact Start Up Loans directly, escalate early, and ask whether your application can be assessed by a different Business Support Partner.

The team are very supportive and give you clear guidance throughout the application process. My Advisor Georgia was great, she called with any questions and offered advice on my business plan. Thank you for all your hard work and support.

Very disappointing experience with the Start Up Loans service. I spent a considerable amount of time dealing with Suhail and providing the information requested, but the process was very slow and communication was frustrating.

Despite already providing the relevant information, I was repeatedly asked for statements and additional proof, which made the whole process feel unnecessarily difficult and time-consuming. The delays in responding also added to the frustration.

Overall, I feel that a lot of my time was wasted going back and forth without clear progress. The service could be significantly improved by providing clearer requirements from the beginning and communicating more efficiently.

Didn’t enjoy my experience to be honest!
Got sold to by a girl on the phone who promised this was a straight forward way of sourcing loans and grants! We then had ongoing chase emails reminding us the deadlines were constantly coming but there was never ever one for our business or one we could apply for. Waste of money’.

Our advisor Suzy was outstanding. Not only did she really listen but her advice was helpful and practical. Cannot recommend her highly enough.

Absolutely brilliant experience working with Chris and helping me to understand the whole process. A great service indeed.

It’s not easy but it’s very good

I was guided to this firm from the job centre. I am self employed and needed seed money as I was using credit cards to fund the business. I was getting paid 2 months in arrears by a very large online retailer. The firm responded quickly but the digital paper work supplied only partially applied to my type of business(digital publishing). So I completed all I could and then added a spreadsheet tab to their spreadsheet with a breakdown of my incoming/outgoing and business plan which couldn't be covered in their own questions.

During my interview I was told this wasn't acceptable and then I was turned down for my loan as my partner and myself didn't have enough finances saved up. We were guided to this firm by Universal credit...I am not sure how many people on UC have seed money saved. So I found this a little ridiculous and it was frankly a waste of my time. I even stated to my advisor that if I had money then I wouldn't need the loan and he agreed replying "We see this a lot".

The whole process was embarrassing and destroyed my confidence. Added to the fact my spreadsheet wasn't suitable (I am an IT teacher who teaches spreadsheets) I was pretty deflated. I felt like this organisation has a specific customer in mind and after speaking with UC about how unsuited I was I hope they stop recommending them.

I wasted 3 days of my production time on the application and preparing for interview. I wish they had just done a simple online check and turned me down on the spot, I would have been fine with that. Instead they completely wasted my time. The hoops you jump through to get turned down is demoralising and pointless. I get they want to add a layer of customer service but in my opinion this isn't professional.

In the end my business is still doing amazing but I am paying off more interest than I would like. However, I took their lack of confidence in me as, experienced professionals perceiving my business as a failure. After 9 months of success I have realised they are just clueless.

Simply put, Don't try this firm if you are on UC.

It’s great job and bigger help for start up new business. Thank you

Great experience the team helped me with my application from start to finish I’ll forever be so thankful to them for helping me start my business. I applied for it on the 29th of July and found out today it’s been approved everything is so quick and easy to navigate thank you again!

not supportive at all, they have a very certain individual who they are looking to support and if your trying to better yourself especially if you have kids they will not even touch your application. absolute waste of time!!!!!!!!!

My business advisor Kirat was very helpful. He explained the process clearly and was very quick. My loan application was sorted out within less than a week and I heard back in a few days.

I want to thank the British Business Bank, Start-Up Loans, for helping me financially establish my micro business. The process was daunting but ultimately worthwhile. Their APR is reasonable by comparison. I would recommend it to anyone struggling to start up their business.

I had an excellent experience with BizBritain throughout my Start Up Loan application. From the very beginning, the communication was clear, professional and supportive.

A special thank you to Victoria Fox, who guided me through every stage of the process. She was always helpful, patient and quick to answer my questions. She made the whole application process much less stressful and kept me informed every step of the way.

My application has now been approved in principle, and I really appreciate the support and professionalism I received. I would highly recommend BizBritain to anyone looking to apply for a Start Up Loan or start a new business.

Thank you again for all your help!

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.