Startup Practice Equipment Financing, Zero Time in Business Welcome

Zero time in business is fine

Pre-opening and first-year practices are a core part of what we fund, not an exception. With no operating history, your personal file, a signed lease, and the equipment quote carry the deal.

Finance the whole office at once

Chairs, imaging, sterilization, lab, cabinetry, and often the leasehold buildout roll into one facility. A single approval and one payment instead of three separate loans on opening day.

Deferred and step payments

A 60 to 90 day deferral or graduated payments that step up as your schedule fills line the note up with your revenue ramp, not the day you sign the lease.

All credit profiles considered

A clean personal file plus a lease and a quote is often enough. A challenged file still has a path, usually with more down, and we price it transparently before you sign.

Financing a startup is different from financing a single scope because you are standing up an entire operating environment at once. It helps to break the package into the pieces a lender wants to see:

• Treatment stations. Dental startups build around operatories: A-dec 500 or Midmark chairs, delivery systems, stools, and lights, usually three to six chairs. Medical startups run exam tables like the Midmark 626, procedure chairs, and specialty seating.
• Imaging. This is the big-ticket line. Dental: a Planmeca ProMax 3D or Carestream pano, plus DEXIS intraoral sensors and possibly a CEREC scanner. Medical: an in-office DR X-ray, a GE LOGIQ or comparable ultrasound, or specialty imaging.
• Sterilization and infection control. A Midmark M11 or Tuttnauer autoclave, ultrasonic cleaners, and the sterilization center cabinetry.
• Lab and point-of-care. In-house lab analyzers, a CEREC Primemill for same-day crowns, or specialty equipment tied to your services.
• Cabinetry and buildout. Operatory casework, reception, and often the leasehold construction itself.

The advantage of financing the whole thing through one broker is a single approval, a single payment, and a structure built around a practice that has not opened. We can roll soft costs like installation and, in many cases, the buildout into the same facility, so you are not juggling an equipment loan, a construction loan, and a working-capital line at the exact moment you are trying to see your first patients.

A sample of startup practice deals we have funded, including practices with zero operating history. Rates reflect the borrower profile and are never guaranteed.

• Austin, TX, dental startup (first year, no time in business): 310,000 dollars for four A-dec 500 operatories, a Dentsply Sirona CEREC Primescan and Primemill, a Planmeca ProMax 3D pano, Midmark M11 sterilization, and cabinetry. FICO 705. Approved at 6.24% APR, 84 months, 10 percent down, first payment deferred 90 days. Three banks had already passed.
• Raleigh, NC, med spa startup (pre-opening): 145,000 dollars for a Cutera laser platform, Midmark exam tables, and treatment-room buildout. FICO 688. Approved at 6.49% APR, 72 months, 15 percent down.
• Chicago, IL, primary care startup (3 months open): 92,000 dollars for Midmark 626 exam tables, Welch Allyn diagnostics, a GE LOGIQ ultrasound, and EMR hardware. FICO 671. Approved at 6.74% APR, 60 months, 10 percent down.
• Scottsdale, AZ, orthodontic startup (first year): 265,000 dollars for chairs, an iTero Element scanner, a Planmeca pano, sterilization, and buildout. FICO 720. Approved at 5.99% APR, 84 months, 10 percent down, graduated payments in year one.

No operating history, no problem. Startups are a core part of what we do, not an exception we tolerate.

A startup's challenge is timing: the equipment costs are front-loaded, but the patient volume, and the revenue, ramp over the first six to twelve months. Good financing bridges that gap. We structure the payment so the heaviest cash demand lands after the schedule fills, not on opening day. A dental startup that defers the first payment 90 days is often collecting on same-day crowns from the CEREC and reading its own panos before the note ever comes due.

Section 179 is unusually powerful for a startup because the first-year deduction can offset income across the practice and, depending on your structure, personal income too. You can deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment placed in service in the first tax year, up to the 2026 cap of 2.5 million dollars, rather than depreciating a 300,000 dollar buildout across seven years. On that Austin dental package, the first-year deduction reaches well into six figures, and 100 percent bonus depreciation, back for equipment placed in service after January 19, 2025, covers whatever exceeds the Section 179 limit. Because financed equipment qualifies in full, a new practice can take a deduction far larger than the down payment and first-year installments it actually paid out. For a first-year practice trying to manage cash and taxes at the same time, that is a meaningful head start. Run it with your CPA, since Section 179 is limited to business income, but for most new practices the timing works strongly in your favor.

Startup deals get approved on structure. Here is how we typically build them:

• Deferred first payment. A 60 to 90 day deferral is the most common startup structure. It lets you install, train staff, and start seeing patients before the first payment hits, which matters enormously when you have no revenue on day one.
• Step or graduated payments. Some lenders will start you with lower payments in the first six to twelve months that step up as the practice matures. It matches the note to your ramp.
• Down payment. Startups usually put 10 to 20 percent down. A stronger down payment offsets the lack of operating history and improves both approval odds and rate. If cash is tight for the buildout, we look for lower-down structures and price accordingly.
• Buildout inclusion. Where the deal supports it, we roll leasehold construction and installation into the equipment facility so you are not stacking separate loans. That single-payment simplicity is a real advantage in year one.
• The personal file. With no business history, your personal credit and any prior practice experience carry more weight. A clean personal file plus a signed lease and an equipment quote is often enough. A challenged file still has a path, usually with more down.

We close startup deals fast, frequently inside a week once we have the quote, the lease, and your financials, so the funding lines up with your opening date instead of holding it up. Send us the plan and we will structure it to open on time.

Can I finance equipment for a practice that has not opened yet?

Yes. Pre-opening and first-year practices are a core part of what we fund. With no operating history, your personal credit, prior clinical experience, a signed lease, and the equipment quote carry the file. We financed a first-year Austin dentist's entire office after three banks passed.

Can I finance the buildout, not just the equipment?

In many cases, yes. Where the deal supports it, we roll leasehold construction, cabinetry, and installation into the same facility as the equipment, so you are not stacking a separate construction loan on top of your equipment loan.

Do you offer deferred payments while I ramp up?

Yes. A 60 to 90 day deferral is the most common startup structure, and some lenders offer graduated payments that start lower and step up as your schedule fills. The goal is to line up the payment with your revenue, not your opening date.

What down payment do startups need?

Most startup deals put 10 to 20 percent down. A stronger down payment offsets the lack of operating history and improves your approval odds and rate. If cash is tight because of the buildout, we look for lower-down structures and price accordingly.

How much can a new practice borrow?

Startup packages typically range from 50,000 to 750,000 dollars depending on specialty and buildout. A solo primary care office sits at the lower end; a multi-chair dental or orthodontic practice with imaging and construction reaches the higher end. We finance the whole range.

How fast can we close before my opening date?

Often within a week once we have the equipment quote, the signed lease, and your financials. We build the timeline around your opening so the funding is ready when the equipment ships, not weeks after you needed it.