Private Credit & Revenue-Based Financing

The rise of alternative lending and fintech credit for SMBs and startups.

Market Size
$1.7T private credit AUM; $5B+ RBF market growing 40%+ annually
Typical Returns
Direct lending: 9-12% net IRR; RBF: 12-18% IRR; Invoice/receivables: 8-11% APY

Overview

Private credit has exploded from $500B (2015) to $1.7T+ AUM (2024), offering 8-14% yields on loans to middle-market companies unable to access public debt markets. Revenue-Based Financing (RBF) provides startups and SMBs with capital in exchange for 2-15% of future revenues until repayment cap (typically 1.3-2.5x). Investment access via platforms like Percent, Yieldstreet (private credit) and Pipe, Capchase (RBF). Returns: Direct lending 9-12% IRR, RBF 12-18% IRR. Key advantages: Floating rate structures, senior secured priority, and illiquidity premiums of 300-500bps over public credit. RBF appeals to SaaS and e-commerce companies avoiding equity dilution.

Key Benefits

  • Higher yields: Private credit 9-14% vs. 5-7% investment-grade bonds; RBF 12-18% IRR
  • Floating rate protection: Most loans SOFR + spread; rates rise with Fed hikes
  • Senior secured priority: First claim on assets; recovery rates 60-80% vs. 20-40% unsecured
  • Revenue alignment: RBF payments flex with company performance; lower default risk than fixed debt
  • Low correlation: 0.3-0.5 correlation with public equities; portfolio diversifier
  • Covenant protections: Maintenance covenants allow early intervention before defaults
  • Startup/SMB access: RBF provides growth capital without equity dilution for founders

Platform Reviews

In-depth analysis using our three-pillar evaluation framework

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Percent

Private Credit & Alternative DebtPrivate Credit Marketplace & SEC-Registered Broker-Dealer

Percent reports a 0.90% charge-off rate on its public track record page. AltStreet's full-platform ingest of all 1,067 deals finds something the public page doesn't surface: 49 deals in active workout and 2 reperforming after prior default. The realized charge-off rate is accurate. The lifetime distress rate — workouts, charge-offs, and recoveries combined — is 5.90%. Both numbers matter; only one is visible.

Updated May 29, 2026

Fundrise

Real Estate, Private Credit, Venture CapitalVertically-Integrated Private Markets Platform

Fundrise is a vertically-integrated private markets platform open to non-accredited investors — $2.94B AUM, KPMG-audited, $1K minimums — but its quarterly redemption window is gated at 5% of NAV per quarter, its Innovation Fund just listed on the NYSE as VCX, and its corporate parent has disclosed a going-concern dependency on continued Reg A capital raises.

Updated May 9, 2026

North Capital (North Capital Private Securities Corporation)

Private Securities Infrastructure (Reg D, Reg A+, Reg CF, Reg S—across real estate, private equity, venture, private credit, collectibles, digital assets)B2B Infrastructure Provider: Broker-Dealer, Transaction Technology, Escrow/Custody & Secondary Trading (ATS)

B2B private markets infrastructure provider—NOT a direct investment platform. Powers crowdfunding platforms (Wefunder, StartEngine, Republic), alternative investment platforms, and private issuers with broker-dealer services, transaction technology (TransactAPI), escrow/custody, and secondary trading (PPEX ATS). Individual investors do not interact with North Capital directly.

Updated Mar 12, 2026

Harvest Returns

Agricultural Private Credit & Private EquityAgricultural Lending & Investment Platform

Harvest Returns has deployed $38M across 90+ agricultural loan series since 2016 with a self-reported 9.9% weighted average annual return — but two defaults surfaced in Q4 2023, all three current fund vehicles eliminate manager fiduciary duties, and a five-person team is simultaneously running four concurrent product lines. The track record is real. The governance terms are not for the inattentive.

Updated May 5, 2026

Arrived

Residential Real Estate / Private CreditFractional Real Estate Platform (SFR, STR, Private Credit via Regulation A)

Fractional real estate platform with 966K registered investors and $414M total invested — offering non-accredited investors $100 entry into individual single-family rentals, short-term rentals, and a private credit fund via Regulation A — with going-concern disclosures on every equity entity it operates and a Debt Fund that is the only profitable product in the portfolio.

Updated May 10, 2026

RealtyMogul

Commercial Real Estate / Private PlacementsNon-Traded REIT Platform / Commercial Real Estate Marketplace (Regulation A)

RealtyMogul spent a decade convincing retail investors they could own institutional commercial real estate for $5,000. Now it is quietly becoming the platform that helps the Wideman Company raise capital — and the REIT investors who came for the 6% yield are sitting in a suspended redemption queue at $7.49 a share.

Updated May 10, 2026

EquityMultiple

Commercial Real Estate / Private CreditCommercial Real Estate Platform (Fixed-Rate Notes, Private Debt Fund, Equity SPVs via Reg D 506(c))

EquityMultiple is a New York-based CRE platform with 201 EDGAR-verified entities, three structurally distinct product pillars, and materially different fee and governance structures disclosed across its offering documents.

Updated Jun 10, 2026

RD Advisors

Private Credit / Real Estate DebtPrivate Real Estate Lender / Fund Manager (Reg D 506(c), Two Active Funds: Senior Debt + Opportunity)

RD Advisors is a Boston-based private real estate lender with a 9-year track record, $400M+ deployed across 380+ projects, 2 EDGAR-verified fund entities, and a fee and yield structure disclosed exclusively in offering documents — not on the public website.

Updated May 14, 2026

Groundfloor

Real Estate Debt (Residential Hard-Money Loans)Reg A+ Residential Debt Lending Platform

Groundfloor is the only retail-accessible US platform offering individual residential renovation loans at $10 minimums under Regulation A+ — open to non-accredited investors, with 12+ years of operating history — but the loan-count diversification it markets overstates real diversification, with 74% of loans concentrated in five Southeast states and entire properties sliced into 7-14 separate LROs that share underlying credit risk.

Updated Jun 3, 2026

Concreit

Mixed Debt and Equity Residential/Commercial Real EstateRegulation A Pooled Real Estate Platform (Mixed Debt + Equity Fund + SFR Series LLC)

Concreit offers one of the most accessible real estate income products in the market — a $1-minimum Reg A fund with weekly distributions — but its SEC filings show cumulative distributions exceeding GAAP net income by $204,563, two parallel governance regimes, a captive transfer agent, and multiple Manager-discretion fee layers.

Updated Jun 9, 2026

Accessing Private Credit & RBF

1

Start with Diversified Private Credit Platforms

Percent and Yieldstreet offer fractional private credit. Minimums $500-$10K per deal. Yields 10-14%. Loans 1-3 years. Diversify across 10+ deals to mitigate defaults. Check platform default rates (<2% preferred).

2

Explore RBF Platforms

Pipe (acquired by Deckmatch) and Capchase secondary markets offer RBF contracts. Buyers purchase revenue streams at 10-25% discounts. Target 12-18% IRR. Higher risk than senior secured debt but upside if companies grow faster than projected.

3

Understand Senior vs. Subordinated Debt

Senior secured loans (first lien) offer 9-11% yields with 60-80% recovery. Mezzanine/subordinated 12-15% but recovers 20-40%. Beginners: Focus on senior secured.

4

Assess Borrower Credit Quality

Target: EBITDA $10M-$100M, leverage <4x, positive cash flow, 5+ years operating history. For RBF: $500K+ ARR, <50% revenue concentration, SaaS or e-commerce. Avoid turnarounds and >5x leverage.

Private Credit & RBF Risks

Important considerations before investing in private credit & revenue-based financing

  • Default risk: Middle-market borrowers 2-5% annual defaults; recessions trigger 10-15%
  • Illiquidity: 1-3 year lockups; no secondary market; early exit requires discounts
  • RBF revenue risk: If company revenues decline, payments extend; elongates payback period
  • Credit cycle correlation: Private credit correlates with economic cycle despite low public market correlation
  • Platform risk: If Percent, Yieldstreet bankrupt, loan ownership unclear despite SPV structures
  • Covenant lite risk: Some loans lack maintenance covenants; cannot intervene until default
  • Interest rate cuts: 2024 rate cuts reduced yields 100-200bps despite floating rates
  • Concentration: Individual deals 5-10% of portfolio; single default erases year of interest

Due Diligence Checklist

  • Check platform track record: Percent <1% defaults preferred; Yieldstreet 3-5%
  • Verify loan seniority: First lien senior secured with collateral coverage (LTV <70%)
  • Assess borrower financials: EBITDA, leverage ratio, cash flow, industry outlook
  • For RBF: Analyze revenue quality (recurring vs. one-time), customer concentration, churn rates
  • Review credit memo: Platform should provide detailed borrower analysis and exit strategy
  • Diversify across 10-15 loans: Single loan = binary; portfolio averages defaults
  • Understand fees: Platform fees 0.5-2% annually; origination 1-3%; net yield reduction 1-3%
  • Compare to public alternatives: Are you getting 300-500bps illiquidity premium vs. BDC ETFs?

Real-World Examples

Percent portfolio (2019-2024): $100K across 20 deals. 1.5% default rate, 50% recovery. Net return 9.8% annually after defaults.

BIZD ETF (2011-2024): $10K grew to $22K with dividends (6.2% CAGR). Underperformed S&P 500 (11%) but lower volatility.

Ares Capital (ARCC): Continuous dividends since 2004. $10K (2004) now $38K with dividends (10.5% CAGR). Survived 2008.

Pipe RBF example: $50K investment in SaaS company revenue stream at 20% discount. Company hit projections; earned 15% IRR over 3 years.

Lending cycle: 2015-2019 (1-2% defaults), 2020-2021 (6-8% COVID spike), 2022-2024 (normalized 3-4%). Illustrates economic sensitivity.

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