Key Takeaways
- Bankable funds H-1B software/SaaS businesses up to $5M based on documented revenue
- No green card, no permanent residency, no citizenship required for funding
- SBA March 2026 rule eliminated H-1B owners from all SBA 7(a) loan access
- 48-hour funding decisions — faster than any bank or SBA lender
- Check your Bankability Score in 30 seconds — no SSN upload
Software as a Service businesses have the highest-quality revenue model in existence: contractual monthly recurring subscriptions, high gross margins (70 to 90 percent), and customer retention rates that make churn-adjusted ARR a genuinely predictable cash flow. An H-1B SaaS founder with $1M in ARR, 90 percent gross margin, and less than 5 percent monthly churn has a business that any sophisticated lender should be eager to fund.
The challenge for H-1B SaaS founders has never been the business quality — it has always been the lender's visa status requirements. Banks want permanent residency. The SBA now requires citizenship. VC wants 20 to 30 percent equity. Bankable provides a fourth option: revenue-based capital scaled to ARR, with 48-hour decisions and zero equity dilution.
The March 2026 SBA rule eliminated H-1B SaaS founders from 7(a) loans, removing their most affordable non-dilutive capital option. Bankable provides a direct path to revenue-based funding without any citizenship test.
Capital Uses for H-1B Software/Saas Operators
- Sales Team Hiring: Front the cost of your first two enterprise sales reps before their pipeline converts to ARR. The 3 to 6 month sales ramp requires payroll capital.
- Product Development: Engineering sprint funding for features that unlock a new market segment or satisfy an enterprise prospect's requirements.
- Cloud Infrastructure: AWS, GCP, or Azure costs that precede the customer onboarding they're provisioned to serve.
- Marketing and Demand Generation: Content, paid search, and conference presence to build the pipeline your current ARR cannot yet support.
- Working Capital During Contract Gaps: Annual contract customers pay upfront — but the months before renewal create operating cash flow pressure.
| Funding Source | H-1B Eligible? | Max Amount | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBA 7(a) — March 2026+ | No — US citizens only | $5M | 30–90 days |
| Traditional Banks | Rarely | Varies | 3–6 weeks |
| Bankable | Always yes | $5M | 48 hours |
For the full SBA alternative landscape for H-1B business owners, see our SBA alternative guide. Check your Bankability Score in 30 seconds to see your preliminary funding range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Bankable funds SaaS businesses based on ARR, MRR, gross margin, and churn rate. No green card or permanent residency required.
Minimum $240K ARR ($20K MRR) for initial consideration. SaaS businesses at $500K to $3M ARR typically access initial tranches of $100K to $1M.
For founders who want to avoid equity dilution and have demonstrated ARR, revenue-based funding preserves ownership while providing growth capital faster than a VC process.
We analyze MRR/ARR trends, logo churn, net revenue retention, and gross margin. Predictable, growing ARR with retention above 90% is the strongest underwriting signal.
Yes. H-1B SaaS founders with enterprise contracts and millions in ARR are now fully excluded from SBA 7(a). Bankable has no such restriction.
No. Bankable has zero residency requirements. H-1B, L-1, O-1, and other work visa holders all qualify for funding assessment based on business revenue alone.
Effective March 1, 2026, the SBA requires 100% US citizen or national ownership for all 7(a) and 504 programs. H-1B holders are completely excluded regardless of revenue or credit history.
48 hours from completed application. The Bankability Assessment at /bankability-score/ takes 30 seconds and gives a preliminary range immediately.