The Financing
We don't take a seat at your table. We just help you build it.
How This Came Together
Here's the honest truth: we kept running into the same wall.
Entrepreneurs would come to us with real ideas. Good ideas. The kind of projects we genuinely wanted to build. And then we'd get to the money conversation, and everything would stall.
"I need to raise a seed round first." "I'm waiting on an SBA loan." "My investor wants to see a prototype before they commit." The story was always the same — great vision, no path to funding.
So we built something with RAPIDSFUNDING.
Rapids Funding is the financing arm of our parent company. They've spent years building relationships with dozens of lenders, brokers, equipment leasing companies, and private investors — the kind of network that can fund just about anything.
For Custom projects, we took that infrastructure and built something specific: GROW. A financing program designed from the ground up for exactly what we do here. Fund ambitious projects. Build them. Help entrepreneurs who've been told "no" finally hear "yes."
The GROW Program
GROW is a loan — but not the kind you're used to. No venture capital. No giving up equity. No decade of monthly payments draining your cash flow.
It's financing built specifically for what we do — fund ambitious projects for people who haven't "made it" yet but absolutely will.
As long as payments are on time
Keeps your cash flow intact
You keep everything you build
When your project proves itself
How It Actually Works
We Fund Your Project Upfront
Once you're approved, we don't ask you to come up with half, or find a co-signer, or drain your savings account. We fund the entire project. You focus on working with us to build it.
You Make Small Payments While We Build
Biweekly payments start as low as $49. This isn't designed to pay off the project — it's designed to keep you invested without crushing your cash flow. Think of it as skin in the game, not a burden.
Zero Interest (Really)
We're not trying to make money on interest. We're trying to build successful projects. As long as your payments are on time, you pay exactly what was agreed. No compounding. No surprises.
One Final Payment When You've Made It
This is the part that makes GROW different from everything else. More on this below.
We Don't Take Equity. Period.
Not 5%. Not 1%. Not "advisor shares." Nothing.
You're not giving up ownership. You're not diluting your stake. You're not bringing in silent partners who suddenly get loud when the money starts flowing.
When you succeed, you keep the success. When you exit, you keep the exit. It's your company. We just helped you build it.
The Success Payment
Traditional lenders want their money back on a schedule that works for them. Monthly payments. Quarterly reviews. Interest accruing whether you're thriving or struggling.
We think that's backwards.
Your biweekly payments during the build phase are intentionally minimal. They're not designed to pay off the project — they're designed to demonstrate commitment while keeping your runway intact.
The real settlement comes later. One payment. Due when your project has had time to actually become something.
Most of our Success Payments are structured around the five-year mark.
That's not arbitrary. Five years is enough time for an app to find its market. For a product line to mature. For a franchise system to prove it can scale. We're not rushing you to pay us back before you've had a chance to win.
Getting Approved
If you're already a StartFourth member, you're pre-approved for up to $500,000 in project financing. Streamlined approval. Your membership is your qualification.
Why? Because you've already demonstrated something that matters to us: you're serious. You invested in yourself before you had proof it would pay off. Rapids Funding recognizes that.
Not a Member Yet?
GROW financing is available to non-members by invitation after project review. We look at the idea, not your FICO score.
Submit your project, have a real conversation with our team, and if we believe in what you're building, the financing is there.
Underwritten In-House. Approved In Days.
GROW is underwritten completely in-house. We're not sending your application to some outside analyst. We're not waiting on a committee in another state. We're not hoping a third-party underwriter "gets" what you're building.
The same people who review your project are the people who decide to fund it. That's why most applicants hear back within days of their initial call — not weeks, not months.
Build Business Credit While You Build
We're finalizing the ability to report your GROW credit line to major business credit bureaus. Your on-time payments won't just keep your project moving — they'll establish the credit history your business needs for whatever comes next.
Potential Reporting Partners Include:
Business
Business
All financing is subject to GROW agreement terms and personal guarantee. Selected projects only. Success Payment amount and timeline are determined during project review and documented in your financing agreement before any work begins. GROW financing is provided by Rapids Funding, a division of FT LLC, and is available exclusively for Custom by StartFourth projects.
Let's Talk About Your Project
No application fee. No obligation. Just a conversation about what you're building and how we might help.
Get Started