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London-Based Alternative Lender

Bridge Finance
& Venture Debt
for UK Companies

Non-dilutive capital from £100k to £5m. Shareholder buyouts, asset and receivables lending, video game finance. Decisions made by principals. Capital deployed in weeks.

Discuss a Deal Our Services
£50m+
Capital
Deployed
200+
Transactions
Completed
2 Wks
Average Time
to Drawdown
£100k–5m
Loan
Range
What We Do

Non-Dilutive Finance,
Built Around You

Three core products designed to give UK businesses access to capital without unnecessary complexity, excessive cost, or equity dilution.

Service 01

SME Bridge Finance

When timing is critical — shareholder buyouts, acquisitions, working capital gaps, or bridging to your next equity round. Structured loans tied to your specific cash catalysts, not generic repayment schedules.

Shareholder Buyouts Acquisitions Working Capital Equity Bridge
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Service 02

Tax Credit Loans

Unlock the value of your HMRC tax credit receivable before the repayment arrives. We lend against R&D, Theatre, Film and Animation tax credits — advancing funds in weeks rather than waiting months for HMRC. Non-dilutive, straightforward, and structured around your production or R&D cycle.

R&D Tax Credits Theatre Tax Relief Film Tax Relief Animation Tax Relief
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Service 03

Video Games Finance

Specialist lending to UK game studios since 2018. VGTR loans, project finance, publisher co-financing, and self-publishing runway. We understand wishlists, vertical slices, and milestone structures — because we've seen hundreds of them.

VGTR Loans Project Finance Publisher Co-Fund Self-Publishing
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Our Process

From First Call to
Drawdown in Weeks

We've stripped out the bureaucracy. You deal with principals throughout — no handoffs, no box-ticking, no unnecessary process.

01
Initial Call

A direct conversation with Edo or Oliver — no gatekeepers. Honest, rapid feedback on whether we can help and what a deal might look like.

02
Term Sheet

If there's a fit, a clear plain-English term sheet within 48–72 hours. No ambiguity, no surprises later in the process.

03
Due Diligence

Experienced investors who know what matters. We focus on the things relevant to repayment, not box-ticking exercises that consume management time.

04
Drawdown

Standardised, reasonable documentation keeps legal fees low. Most deals complete within 2–4 weeks of first contact. Some much faster.

Case Studies

Deals We've Done,
What We Learned

Every loan is bespoke. Here are a selection of transactions that illustrate the breadth of what we can do — from pension tech to indie game studios.

Pension Technology
£165m
Series D Equity Bridge — Smart Pension

Working capital bridge for Smart Pension during its Series D fundraise. From introduction to funds in borrower's account: 12 working days. "I wouldn't hesitate to use Finstock again."

3 MonthsLoan Term
12 DaysTo Drawdown
BridgeType
Consumer Tech / Logistics
£1.5m
Shareholder Buyback — Parcel Aggregator

Two-year structured loan to facilitate a partial shareholder buyback. Repayment tied to recurring tax credits with a bullet at maturity. No warrants. No equity dilution.

2 YearsTerm
No WarrantsStructure
BuybackType
Theatre / Creative Industries
£2m
Theatre Tax Credit Loan — London West End Production

Nine-month loan to a London-based theatre production company, secured against its Theatre Tax Relief receivable from HMRC, enabling rehearsals and pre-production to begin on schedule without waiting for HMRC repayment.

Theatre Tax ReliefSecurity
9 MonthsTerm
Tax Credit LoanType
Video Games
Multiple
VGTR Loan Programme — UK Indie Studios

Finstock has supported multiple UK indie studios — including Radical Forge, Included Games, and Cardboard Sword — with VGTR loans, bridging them to HMRC repayments and extending production runway.

VGTRSecurity
Indie / AASector
Project FinanceType
HealthTech
£500k
Equipment Finance — Covid Testing Facility

Three-month loan to fund expansion of a UK biotech company's COVID-19 testing facilities. Repayment tied to operating performance — faster and more flexible than traditional asset finance.

3 MonthsTerm
Asset-BackedSecurity
EquipmentType
Deep Tech / Hardware
£540k
Reverse SPAC Bridge — Hardware Manufacturer

Loan to support a reverse SPAC transaction in the US, secured against the company's UK future tax credits and incumbent shareholders. Repaid in full on completion of the transaction.

Tax CreditsSecurity
TransactionRepayment
M&A BridgeType

"From intro, right through to drawdown of funds, a little over two weeks elapsed — testament to the energy and pragmatism with which the team operate. I wouldn't hesitate to use Finstock again, nor recommend them to anyone in my network looking for flexible access to capital."

Eoin Corcoran — Group Finance Director, Smart Pension
Series D · £165m Raise
Games Finance

The UK Games Sector
Needs Specialist Capital

Publishers are more selective. HMRC VGTR repayments take months. Equity investors are cautious. Finstock has been lending to UK game studios since 2018 — we understand wishlists, vertical slices, and what makes a studio fundable.

  • ›
    VGTR Loans

    Accelerate your HMRC Video Games Tax Relief repayment. Capital available within one week of engagement for qualifying studios. No waiting months for HMRC.

  • ›
    Project Finance

    Standalone game finance secured against VGTR and revenue milestones. We assess each project on its own merits — track record, wishlist numbers, publisher relationships.

  • ›
    Publisher Co-Financing

    We partner with publishers to co-fund development, allowing them to back more titles and spread capital further across a portfolio of projects.

  • ›
    Self-Publishing Runway

    Debt rather than revenue share — we recoup interest, not a percentage of your game's sales. Keep more of your success.

Why Debt Over Equity?

Keep More of
Your Game's Upside

Publisher deals and equity raises give away long-term value. Debt gives you the capital to build — and lets you keep the reward.

AlternativeFinstock
Publisher revenue share30–50% of salesNone
Equity raise dilutionPermanent stakeNone
VGTR wait time3–6 months~1 Week
Finstock costInterest Only
Studios & Companies We've Backed
Radical Forge Included Games Cardboard Sword Mod.io Audiomob Rekindled Radical Forge Observer Interactive
Why Finstock

A Lender That
Behaves Differently

Most alternative lenders are fund structures with layers of decision-making. We're a small, principal-led team that has deployed over £50m into more than 200 transactions — and we make every decision ourselves.

  • You Deal With the Decision-Makers

    Edo and Oliver review every deal personally. No relationship managers handing off to credit committees you'll never meet.

  • Speed That Matches Your Timeline

    VGTR loans in as little as one week. Bridge facilities and venture debt typically completed in two to four weeks from first contact.

  • Standardised, Reasonable Documentation

    Sensible legal templates keep your costs down. We're practical and commercially-minded — not adversarial.

  • No Warrants as Standard

    Unlike many venture debt providers we don't automatically take equity warrants. Interest income, not equity participation.

Finstock vs Convertible Loan Note
CLNFinstock
Typical cost40–50% p.a.Teens % p.a.
Equity dilution20–25% discountNone
Time to closeWeeks of negotiation2–4 Weeks
Who you deal withAccount managersPrincipals Only
DocumentationComplex, bespokeStandardised
WarrantsCommonNot Required

Finstock isn't the right solution for every business. If you're profitable and can access bank debt, that's often the better choice. We're most useful when you need speed, flexibility, or when traditional lenders won't engage.

The Team

Experienced Principals,
Not Intermediaries

Every borrower works directly with the founders of Finstock. Both bring institutional finance and legal backgrounds — and between them have seen hundreds of deals across sectors.

Edo Salvesen, CFA
Edo Salvesen, CFA
Co-Founder · Finance

Former Deputy Head of Equity Research at Brewin Dolphin (£26bn AUM) and Investment Manager at Sarasin & Partners. CFA Charterholder, Masters in Finance.

LinkedIn Profile
Oliver Jenkinson
Oliver Jenkinson
Co-Founder · Legal & Corporate

Partner at Peachey & Co LLP by age 30, advising listed and private companies across the full corporate lifecycle. Board director at Ascensos (UK, South Africa, Turkey, Romania).

LinkedIn Profile
Get in Touch

Tell Us About
Your Deal

We respond to every genuine enquiry, usually within 24 hours. If there's a fit, you'll speak directly with Edo or Oliver — no intermediaries.

Office
Britannia House, 1–11 Glenthorne Road
London, W6 0LH
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