Leeds-based company Debeo aims to address the £65bn lending gap and provide support for SMEs experiencing cash flow difficulties.

The fintech platform helps SMEs throughout the lending process, equipping them with real-time data and insights to find the right lender and solution.

It then assists them with preparing and structuring an application to both increase the likelihood of approval and accelerate the speed with which they receive the working capital.

By providing “clearer risk profiling and greater clarity around their true financial position”, the platform aims to make firms more ‘lendable’ and broaden their access to capital beyond high-street banks.

As well as directly supporting SMEs, Debeo will also help accountants, advisors, brokers and other intermediaries by giving them full visibility of a client’s commercial debt status.

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The company was founded by Alex Beardsley (pictured above), who owned a commercial finance brokerage for over 12 years and used her experience of running SMEs to recognise the gap in the market.

Alex commented: “With many SMEs confused by taking out multiple loans, overdrafts and asset finance agreements across different lenders, our new platform uniquely uses the latest data and insights to empower better business debt management and financing decisions.

“Most companies of this size unfortunately go into applying for commercial finance without seeing the whole picture, and will then operate from a position of desperation and face immense risk as a result. We’re addressing the needs of those firms that simply don’t have clarity over their finances, struggle to access the right funding and don’t have the information at their fingertips to apply for a working capital agreement that meets their business needs and financial situation.

“It can be a minefield and it’s so vital that SMEs understand their borrowing capabilities and are much more informed in advance about the affordability, complexity, covenant risks and potential pitfalls of the alternative finance available.”