Alternative Financing

Bay Street Lending LLC is a New York-based commercial-finance broker that places small business financing with partner lenders and states it is compensated by those lenders when a deal closes. Its SBA loan page covers 7(a), 504 and Express programs from $50,000 to $5 million and lists business acquisition, franchise acquisition and partner buyouts among eligible uses. It also arranges working capital, equipment financing, purchase order financing, lines of credit and invoice factoring.

Nexus by Talcott Forge offers a modern ROBS (Rollover for Business Startups) 401(k) product that lets founders use retirement savings to capitalize a C-Corp without a taxable distribution. The platform handles eligibility, C-Corp formation, 401(k) plan setup, rollover coordination, and ongoing compliance administration.

Pioneer Capital Advisory is a commercial loan brokerage firm specializing in SBA 7(a) acquisition financing for business buyers nationwide. Founded by Matthias Smith in 2022, the firm has closed over $250 million across 115+ acquisitions, with Smith's personal SBA lending experience exceeding $300 million across four commercial banks including Live Oak Bank. The team of seven - including underwriting, sales, and analyst professionals - guides buyers from LOI through closing on a 90-day exclusive engagement, with no cost to the buyer as compensation comes from the lender at close.

eCommerce Lending is a full-service acquisition firm founded by Stephen Speer offering financing (SBA 7(a) up to $5M, FLEX $1M-$10M, Capital Access $10M-$250M), buy-side advisory (LOI structuring, deal negotiation, due diligence coordination), and off-market deal sourcing across ecommerce, SaaS, and traditional business acquisitions. The firm has closed 500+ deals totaling over $1 billion with a 98% approval rate.

SBA Loan Lab is an independent loan brokerage founded in 2025 by Eric Rabinovich, who spent nine years as a vice president at Live Oak Bank after advising the SBA on its 7(a) and 504 programs as a PwC consultant. The firm works across business acquisitions, partner buyouts and succession, debt refinancing, working capital, and owner-occupied real estate, typically in the $500,000 to $7 million range. It is not tied to a single lender and states it aims for three to five term sheets per client, and also offers deal structuring and LOI review for first-time buyers. Eric's deepest sector experience is in accounting, tax, and bookkeeping practice acquisitions, though the firm works with qualified buyers across industries, and states it is compensated by lenders at closing rather than by borrowers.