Key Takeaways
- AOS EAD holders qualify for tech startup funding based on business revenue, not immigration status
- The March 1, 2026 SBA rule bars all AOS applicants from SBA loans regardless of I-140 approval
- Revenue-based capital up to $5M available with 48-hour decisions
- No green card required — your EAD is sufficient authorization
- Check your Bankability Score to see what your business revenue qualifies for
The intersection of US immigration policy and technology entrepreneurship has created an unusual demographic: experienced tech founders who have been operating companies for 5–15 years on EAD while their green card applications sit in the EB-2 or EB-3 backlog. Many came to the US on H-1B visas as software engineers, senior managers, or researchers. Their employers filed I-140 petitions years ago. Those petitions are approved. The founders are cleared for permanent residence in principle — but Indian-born applicants face visa backlogs measured in decades. In the meantime, they built companies. Some of those companies now generate $2–$10 million in annual recurring revenue. Traditional lenders and, as of March 1, 2026, the SBA all require permanent residency or citizenship. Bankable funds tech companies on their revenue fundamentals.
The AOS Tech Founder Reality
Consider an Indian-born software engineer who joined a US company in 2010 on H-1B. Their employer filed an EB-3 I-140 in 2012 — approved. The priority date for Indian-born EB-3 is currently early 2013, meaning a 13-year wait. By 2024, this person had left their corporate role, built a SaaS product, raised a seed round, grown to $180,000 MRR, and hired 14 employees — all while holding an EAD, all while legally authorized to work and run a company. Their green card is now expected in 1–2 years. But their company needs a $400,000 credit line today to fund a sales team expansion. Every traditional lender declines based on "pending" status.
This is the exact profile Bankable was built to serve. Check your Bankability Score — your MRR, churn rate, and customer concentration are the metrics that matter, not your visa category.
What Bankable Funds for AOS Tech Founders
- Sales team expansion: Hire account executives, SDRs, and sales engineers to scale a proven SaaS product
- Infrastructure and cloud costs: Prepay AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure reserved instances for significant discounts
- Product development acceleration: Fund engineering hires or contractors to compress roadmap timelines
- Customer acquisition: Scale paid search and demand generation for products with demonstrated CAC/LTV ratios
- Working capital for consulting revenue: Bridge the gap between project completion and client payment
- Series A bridge: Fund operations between seed round depletion and Series A close
Revenue Documentation for Tech Companies
SaaS companies have highly predictable, documentable revenue. Stripe subscription dashboards, Chargebee MRR reports, QuickBooks recurring revenue tracking, and bank deposit histories all provide the data Bankable needs. For consulting or services-based tech companies, project invoicing history and bank deposits serve the same purpose. The March 1, 2026 SBA rule change, which requires 100% US citizen ownership for SBA 7(a) loans, has pushed many AOS tech founders toward revenue-based alternatives. Bankable's underwriting is designed specifically for this use case.
| Factor | Bankable Requirement |
|---|---|
| Immigration Status | EAD (any category) — no green card needed |
| Company History | 6 months of verifiable revenue |
| Monthly Revenue | $15,000+ MRR or project revenue |
| Documentation | Stripe/Chargebee reports + 3 months bank statements |
| Funding Range | $25,000 to $5,000,000 |
| Decision Timeline | 48 hours from complete application |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Many of Bankable's tech startup clients are Indian-born EB-2 or EB-3 applicants who have been operating companies for years on EAD. The backlog duration is irrelevant to our underwriting — your MRR and revenue history are what matter.
The SBA now requires 100% US citizen or national ownership for all SBA programs as of March 1, 2026. AOS tech founders — including those with approved I-140 petitions — are categorically excluded. Bankable has no citizenship requirements.
Bankable requires a minimum of 6 months of verifiable revenue. Pre-revenue startups do not currently qualify. However, once a company establishes $15,000+ in monthly recurring revenue, the Bankability Score process begins qualifying the business for capital.
Yes. SaaS companies are ideal for Bankable's model. Recurring subscription revenue is predictable and well-documented through platforms like Stripe or Chargebee. MRR growth rate, churn, and customer concentration all factor into our underwriting.
Yes. Sales team expansion, engineering hires, and customer success roles are all valid uses of Bankable capital. Many AOS tech founders use growth capital specifically to scale their go-to-market team when product-market fit is established.
Up to $5 million based on documented MRR. A SaaS company with $150,000 MRR would typically qualify for $200,000–$500,000. Higher-MRR companies with strong retention metrics can access larger tranches.
No. Bankable's revenue-based funding is debt, not equity. You do not give up ownership or board seats. Repayment comes from a percentage of your revenue. This is particularly important for AOS founders who want to maintain their cap table ahead of a potential acquisition or IPO.
Yes. Acquiring a complementary SaaS product or tech services company is a valid use case. We underwrite based on combined revenue of the acquiring entity and the target, making acquisitive growth accessible even for AOS founders.
No. VC-backed companies on AOS EAD are fully eligible for Bankable funding. Many founders combine VC equity with revenue-based debt to extend runway without additional dilution. Bankable and VC funding are complementary, not competing.
Yes. For SaaS companies with usage-based or enterprise billing cycles that create revenue lumpiness, Bankable's percentage-of-revenue repayment structure automatically adjusts — lower in slow months, higher when enterprise renewals or new contracts land.