If you’re building a real-estate tech startup that actually flips houses at scale, I’d focus less on generic “hard money lenders” and more on lenders that are technology-enabled, asset-based, fast-closing, and comfortable with repeat borrowers/LLCs.
My shortlist
Lender
Why I’d consider them
Current advertised terms*
Best fit
Kiavi
Probably the strongest tech-native option; automated underwriting/pricing and very high leverage
Up to 100% purchase / 80% ARV, 100% rehab; $100K–$5M; 12–24 months
Very strong for repeat operators; offers lines of credit and multiple exit strategies
Up to 95% LTC, 100% rehab; $100K–$5M; 13–24 months
Scaling a flipping operation
RCN Capital
Established direct lender with explicit experience-based leverage tiers
Up to 100% purchase + rehab subject to ARV limits
Experienced flipper / larger projects
Groundfloor
Very asset-focused; says it doesn't require tax returns/income documentation and supports first-time flippers
Up to 100% renovation; up to 70% LTARV; 6–18 months
Asset-based / newer operator
*Advertised maximums/rates aren't necessarily what your startup will receive; actual terms depend heavily on property, market, experience, credit, entity structure and deal economics.
1. Kiavi — my first call
Kiavi is particularly interesting for a real-estate tech company because its lending operation itself is highly technology-driven. It says its platform uses data from 100,000+ projects and provides automated pricing/decisioning. Its current fix-and-flip offering advertises up to 100% of purchase price, 80% ARV, and 100% of rehab, with loans from $100K to $5M and closings potentially as fast as seven days.
Why I'd prioritize it: if your startup is trying to turn flipping into a repeatable, software-driven acquisition/renovation machine, the lender's own tech infrastructure is unusually aligned with that model.
2. Lima One Capital — probably the best alternative
Lima One advertises up to 95% LTC, 100% of rehab costs, 13/19/24-month terms, loans from $100K–$5M, and available 24-hour rehab draws. More importantly for a startup, it advertises lines of credit that can provide up to 10× liquidity, which is potentially much more useful than financing each flip as an isolated transaction.
That's the lender I'd investigate seriously if your objective is:
capital → acquire multiple houses → renovate → sell → recycle capital → repeat.
3. RCN Capital — excellent if you have a track record
RCN is particularly interesting because it explicitly adjusts its leverage based on experience. Its published program distinguishes borrowers who have completed 5+ flips in the last three years from newer customers. For experienced borrowers, it advertises up to 80% of purchase price + 100% rehab for certain light-rehab deals, subject to ARV limits.
If your startup founders/operators already have a substantial flipping history, I'd move RCN higher on the list.
4. Groundfloor — worth getting a quote
Groundfloor's current fix-and-flip program is explicitly asset-based: it says projects are evaluated based on property value and renovation potential rather than personal income, with no tax returns or income documents required. It advertises up to 100% renovation financing, up to 70% LTARV, 6–18-month terms, and closings as quickly as seven days.
That makes it especially worth testing if your company is relatively young but the underlying real estate deals are strong.
What I'd do if this were my startup
I wouldn't pick one lender immediately. I'd run the same representative deal through 4–6 lenders simultaneously and create a financing scorecard:
Max LTC
Max LTARV
Interest rate
Origination points
Minimum cash required
Rehab draw timing
Underwriting/closing time
Personal guarantee requirements
Recourse vs. non-recourse
Entity/LLC requirements
Minimum borrower experience
Prepayment penalty
Extension fees
Ability to finance multiple simultaneous projects
Whether they'll give you a portfolio/warehouse/line-of-credit relationship
That last one is really important for a startup. A lender that will finance 20 houses for you under a repeat-borrower facility can be vastly more valuable than one offering the cheapest rate on a single $250K flip.
One important distinction
If by “real estate tech startup” you mean your company owns/flips the houses itself, the lenders above are relevant.
If instead you're building a PropTech platform that helps other people find/underwrite/manage flips, and you're looking for a lender who will provide capital through your platform to your customers, that's a different—and potentially much more interesting—financing problem. In that case I'd look at institutional/private credit, warehouse facilities, and lending partnerships, not just ordinary hard-money loans.
If you tell me your target markets, typical purchase price, ARV, rehab budget, number of flips/month, and whether you've already completed flips, I can narrow this to the best 3 lenders and compare likely economics side-by-side.
When you’re running a real estate tech startup focused on flipping houses, you aren’t just looking for a guy with a briefcase full of cash—you need lenders who speak API, offer seamless digital draw requests, and can scale funding as your transaction volume grows.
The top national private/hard money lenders that lean heavily into technology, automated approvals, and high-volume scaling for fix-and-flip projects include:
Kiavi — Widely considered a pioneer for tech-enabled real estate investors. They use a proprietary data-driven platform that allows you to get pre-qualified, apply, and track your loans entirely online with automated valuation models and rapid funding turnarounds.
New Silver — A tech-first hard money lender built explicitly around a digital-first application process. They feature instant term sheets, automated underwriting tech, and quick closing capabilities, making them a great cultural and operational fit for a proptech workflow.
Lima One Capital — Known for combining institutional backing with a robust digital client portal. They offer predictable, transparent scaling programs for fix-and-flips, which works well if your startup needs reliable, repeatable credit lines rather than one-off approvals.
LendingOne — Great for scalability. If your startup is scaling up to flip dozens of houses concurrently, LendingOne provides portfolio-level financing and streamlined online asset management to track multiple rehab budgets simultaneously.
RCN Capital — A massive national direct private lender that provides streamlined short-term bridge loans with efficient processing pipelines that integrate well with institutional or tech-backed flipping models.
If you want to narrow this down, let me know:
Is your startup looking for single-asset bridge loans or a revolving line of credit?
Do you need a lender with an API/partner integration to embed financing into your software?
