Disclaimer

What Fundladder is. Fundladder is a free, impartial guide to the ways a US business can raise money. We describe types of finance and categories of provider. We do not lend, arrange, sell or recommend finance. We are not a lender, a broker, a broker-dealer, a funding portal or an investment adviser, and we are not registered as any of these with the SEC, FINRA or any state.

Not for profit. Fundladder is free to use and is run on a not-for-profit basis. There is no advertising, and we take no fee, commission or other payment from a business, lender, platform or investor for anything on this site. Using Fundladder does not make you our client, and we do not give financial, investment, legal or tax advice through it.

Not the government. Fundladder is not part of, or endorsed by, the Small Business Administration (SBA), the US Department of Agriculture, the IRS or any other government agency. We describe their programs from their own published rules. Be wary of anyone who charges a fee to get you a "free government grant" or an SBA loan.

Information, not advice. Nothing on this site is financial, investment, legal or tax advice. When we say a route "fits", we mean your answers match the general conditions we have written down for that type of finance. It does not mean a lender or investor will say yes, or that the route is right for your business. Only you can make that decision, ideally with help from an independent professional such as an accountant, an attorney or a registered investment adviser.

Not investment advice, and not an offer of securities. Some pages explain ways to raise money by selling a share of a business or a right to one: angel and venture capital investment, SAFEs, convertible notes, Regulation Crowdfunding, Regulation A, stock exchange listings and tokenized securities. They explain how each works for the business that wants to raise money. Nothing on this site is an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security, and nothing on it says whether anyone should invest in any company. Reading this site does not create an investment adviser, broker or attorney relationship with anyone.

No promotions. We do not promote any specific investment, crowdfunding campaign, securities offering or provider. We take no fees, commissions or payments for placement, and nothing we earn depends on whether a business raises money. Our ordering is the cost ladder, from the cheapest money to the most expensive, and nothing else.

The provider directory. The directory names a few national firms as examples, each chosen from an official list by a rule stated on the page. Being listed is not an endorsement, a firm not listed is no worse for it, and nobody pays to be listed.

Accuracy. We check each fact against a primary source and show the date we last checked it. Rules, rates and programs change, and we may make mistakes. Always confirm the current terms with the provider or the official source before you act. If you find something wrong or out of date, please tell us.

Your data. The questionnaires and checklists on this site run in your browser. We do not store what you type. We collect only anonymous, cookie-free usage statistics.

Risk. Borrowing can put your assets, and sometimes your home, at risk if you give a personal guarantee or security. Selling shares means giving up part of the ownership and control of your business. Investments made through crowdfunding are high risk, and people who invest can lose all of their money.

Liability. We provide this site in good faith, but to the extent the law allows we accept no liability for any loss arising from your use of it or reliance on it.