How the intelligent matching platform empowers commercial finance brokers to serve entrepreneurs rebuilding after business failure, using verified data
Bad credit should never be a permanent barrier to business growth. Yet thousands of UK entrepreneurs who have rebuilt successful companies after earlier business setbacks find themselves locked out of traditional finance because of damaged credit profiles.
A failed business doesn’t define an entrepreneur”
— Phillip Evans
FundingSearch, the UK’s intelligent matching platform for commercial finance, is changing that. By focusing on verified financial data rather than credit scores alone, the Sheffield-based fintech is helping commercial finance brokers access a broader range of lending solutions for their most resilient clients.
“A failed business doesn’t define an entrepreneur,” says Phillip Evans, Founder and CEO of FundingSearch. “Some of our most successful founders have learned hard lessons from a previous venture that failed. They’ve often built better businesses the second time around. Traditional lenders see the credit history and stop. We see the financial profile, the business plan, and the market opportunity.”
The platform’s breakthrough is its direct integration with live accounting data from Xero and Sage, plus automated Companies House verification. Rather than relying on historical credit data, lenders get real-time insight into how the business is actually performing: cash flow, trading history, revenue trends, and profitability.
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For brokers serving entrepreneurs with challenging credit profiles, this shift is transformative. Instead of spending 20+ hours researching which lenders might accept a bad credit application, brokers now get an instant ranked list of suitable lenders with match probability scores. The platform covers the full commercial finance spectrum: asset finance, invoice finance, working capital, trade finance, merchant cash advances, and property finance.
A broker using FundingSearch typically saves 15 plus hours per deal on lender research alone. But the real benefit runs deeper. When applications are matched to genuinely suitable lenders with verified financial data, approval rates improve significantly. Lenders receive pre-qualified applications with complete information. The process accelerates for everyone involved.
The platform’s approach aligns with the FCA’s Open Finance vision. By tapping into open banking standards and automated company data, FundingSearch demonstrates how fintech can reduce friction in the commercial lending process without displacing the broker who remains the trusted advisor throughout. Brokers keep 100 per cent of the commission. There’s no AR network required. The technology simply makes them more effective.
For entrepreneurs rebuilding after business failure, the pathway is clearer. A business that is trading profitably today, even if its owner’s credit history carries scars from yesterday, now has genuine access to competitive finance. That matters. It means capital for growth. It means faster expansion. It means the second venture gets the fuel it needs.
FundingSearch launched in early 2026 as a participant in the FCA’s SME Finance TechSprint programme, validating its approach to open finance and commercial lending innovation. The platform is already trusted by commercial finance brokers and lenders across the UK.
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