FAQs
General Questions | The Fundraising Process | Data Connectors | Lenders | Pricing and Fees
General Questions
Q. Who is Hum Capital?
A. Hum Capital is a technology-enabled financing platform that helps established businesses access growth capital. Through Hum Financial, our direct lending arm, Hum provides $1M–$50M in flexible, non-dilutive financing directly to qualifying companies for acquisitions, expansion, working capital, refinancing, and other strategic business needs. When direct lending isn’t the right fit, Hum’s Marketplace can identify potential lenders and financing partners whose criteria align with a company’s needs.
Q. Is Hum Capital legitimate?
A. Yes. Hum Capital launched in 2019 (originally as Capital) and is backed by venture investors, including a Series A led by Future Ventures. In April 2025, Hum closed a $200 million debt facility with Synovus Bank’s Structured Lending Division and InterVest capital partners to expand its lending. Through Hum Financial, its direct lending arm, Hum provides $1M–$50M in financing to established U.S. businesses with $2M or more in annual revenue. You can see how companies have used Hum financing in our client case studies.
Q. What problem is Hum Capital solving?
A. Today’s fundraising process is often exclusive, inefficient, and short on transparency. Hum solves this two ways: we fund companies directly through Direct Lending, and where that’s not the right fit, our Marketplace matches you with lenders looking for your profile.
Q. Is Hum a replacement for an investment bank or venture capital firm?
A. Many companies don’t have access to a venture firm or investment bank to guide fundraising decisions. Hum can be a strong complement — and in some cases an alternative. Through Direct Lending, we can fund you directly; through our Marketplace, we connect you with lenders so you avoid the added fees and cost of an investment bank.
Q. Who actually provides the financing when I work with Hum?
A. It depends on the path. Through Hum Financial, our direct lending arm, Hum is financing a company directly. With the Hum Marketplace, companies are matched with lenders from a network of 900+ partners. Once an account is created and data is connected, the Hum Marketplace will match a business with the best lending option(s), and each company can choose which lender to move forward with.
Q. Are there any industry or country restrictions to working with Hum Capital?
A. The lenders we work with support a wide range of company sizes and industries, though they generally avoid adult entertainment, gambling, cannabis, and crypto-price-dependent businesses. Hum works with companies based in the U.S.
Q. What types of businesses are eligible to apply?
A. Hum works with established businesses across a range of industries seeking $1M–$50M in financing. To qualify, a company must be based in the U.S., be raising $1M or more, and have $2M or more in annual revenue. Hum evaluates each company individually to determine whether Direct Lending or another financing option may be a fit.
Q. What financing options does Hum Capital offer?
A. Hum’s primary financing solution is direct lending through Hum Financial, providing qualifying businesses with $1M–$50M in flexible, non-dilutive growth capital. Financing can support acquisitions, expansion, working capital, refinancing, and other strategic business needs. When direct lending isn’t the right fit, the Hum Marketplace can identify lenders and financing partners whose criteria align with a company’s needs.
Q. How is Direct Lending different from the Marketplace?
A. With Hum Financial, Hum is the lender of record. Hum Financial underwrites, structures and funds the facility. The Hum Marketplace matches companies with a network of lenders based on lender-specific criteria.
Q. Can Hum help pre-revenue companies obtain financing?
A. No. Hum works with companies that have $2M or more in annual revenue.
Q. Does signing up for an account impact my personal credit score?
A. Hum does not run a credit check when you sign up, so there’s no impact on your personal credit score.
The Fundraising Process
Q. How long does it take to secure financing through Hum Capital?
A. The timeline depends on the financing solution and complexity of the transaction. Through Direct Lending, Hum combines experienced underwriting with technology and connected business data to evaluate financing opportunities efficiently and move qualifying companies through the process quickly. If a company is better suited for Hum’s Marketplace, timing will depend on lender interest, due diligence, and the financing structure.
Q. What is the difference between equity and debt financing?
A. Debt means you temporarily borrow capital and repay it over time while keeping all future income for your business. Equity is dilutive — founders give up a portion of ownership and future upside. Neither is necessarily better for every company, but at this time, Hum Capital only offers debt financing.
Q. Does Hum handle both equity and debt financing?
A. At this time, lenders on Hum’s platform offer only debt financing options.
Q. How does Hum handle the due diligence for my company’s deal?
A. For Direct Lending, Hum conducts its own underwriting and due diligence, using financial information, connected business data, and other relevant documentation to evaluate the company and financing opportunity. For companies using Hum’s Marketplace, Hum helps organize and present relevant company information to potential financing partners, while each lender conducts its own due diligence and makes its own financing decision.
Q. How many lenders does Hum match companies with?
A. Through Hum’s Marketplace, our goal is to identify at least five qualified lenders whose criteria align with your business and financing needs. The number of potential matches may vary based on factors such as financing size, business profile, industry, financial performance, and the type of capital being sought.
Q. How much can I expect to raise using the Max Raise Calculator?
A. The Max Raise Calculator is a free tool that gives an initial estimate of how much debt a company could raise, based on financial metrics you enter — recurring or non-recurring business model, annualized revenue, annualized EBITDA, receivables, inventory, outstanding debt, and equity raised. It’s free to use, and the output is an estimate only, not guaranteed.
Data Connectors
Q. Why should I connect my business systems to Hum?
A. Connecting your business systems gives lenders a more accurate view of your business and can help speed up financing decisions — some lenders and financing options on Hum’s Marketplace are only available to companies that connect their data systems. Connecting reduces manual file uploads, gives lenders secure data-room access for due diligence, and keeps your data secure through a machine-to-machine connection. Hum connects with systems including QuickBooks, Stripe, Plaid, Shopify, Braintree, and PayPal.
Lenders
Q. Understanding Investment Criteria Scores
A. When reviewing investment criteria scores, a series of bars shows how well an opportunity aligns with a lender’s preferences. The number of colored bars shows match strength — more filled bars mean a stronger match (a 9/10 score means very close alignment). The total number of bars, colored or not, shows how important that metric is in Hum’s matching schema, from 1 to 10 possible bars. Together, the two tell you both how well an opportunity fits a criterion and how much that criterion matters to the overall score — helping lenders quickly spot where an opportunity aligns most strongly, and which mismatches matter less.
Q. Capital Provider Analytics Chartbook Overview
A. Hum’s Capital Provider Analytics Chartbook lets lenders download an Excel file with standardized financial statements and auto-populated charts for companies presented by Hum — Income Statement and Balance Sheet summaries by month, quarter and year, plus dynamic charts like quarterly revenue, quarterly EBITDA, monthly revenue with margin, and working capital. The data comes from connectors pulling directly from a company’s financial systems (like QuickBooks and Xero) via Hum’s Marketplace, which standardizes and refreshes it — weekly when a company connects its data directly, though some data may be uploaded manually instead. Lenders can also pull original-line-item Income Statements and Balance Sheets from a company’s QuickBooks connector, covering the past three years, all from the matched company’s Data Room. There’s currently no limit on how much can be downloaded.
Pricing and Fees
Q. What will my financing cost?
A. Pricing is on a deal-by-deal basis and can depend on factors such as revenue, cash flow, collateral, use of proceeds, and total size and term of the facility. Our pricing reflects our willingness to provide larger dollar amounts and more flexible terms than traditional lenders. All potential borrowers are presented with a non-binding term sheet that lists all fees and pricing associated with a Hum facility.
Q. Does it cost anything to get started with Hum?
A. No. Creating an account, connecting your data, and exploring your financing options are free.
Q. Are there fees?
A. For Hum Marketplace financing, Hum charges a success fee. It’s due only when your deal closes and the capital is available to you. If we aren’t able to help you secure financing, you don’t pay Hum anything. For Hum Financial, fees are part of your financing terms and are listed in your term sheet before you sign.
Q. How does Hum make money?
A. For Hum Marketplace financing, Hum earns a success fee, a percentage of the capital you raise through the Marketplace, so we only get paid when you do. For Hum Financial, we earn the interest and fees set out in your financing terms. There’s no cost to upload your data to the Marketplace to benchmark your business and evaluate funding options.
Q. When do I pay Hum?
A. For Hum Marketplace financing, Hum’s success fee is due only once your deal has closed and capital is available to you. If we aren’t able to help you secure financing, you don’t pay Hum anything. For Hum Financial, fees are part of your financing terms and are shown in your term sheet before you sign. Some lenders, including Hum Financial, may charge documentation or other fees before closing to move into due diligence or legal documentation.