Growth Credit Community · London

The funding toolkit
most founders miss.

Growth credit is debt funding for revenue-generating startups — a core part of the scale-up toolkit that most founders still don't know how to use. Raise & Runway is the community closing that gap. Launch night: 10 June, Soho.

Join the launch night About the community

"Growth credit is no longer a niche workaround for founders who cannot raise equity. Used properly, it is a core part of the scale-up funding toolkit. The problem is most founders still do not know when to use it, how to structure it, or what questions to ask. This community should fix that."

Hayden Smith · Mountside Ventures

What we're building

A community built around honest conversation about growth credit

Raise & Runway brings together Series A+ founders, lenders and advisors in the growth credit space. Not for networking's sake. To close the education gap that's costing founders equity they didn't need to give away.

We run events, roundtables and sessions throughout the year, each designed around what founders actually need to know.

Founder roundtables

Small curated groups of founders who've used growth credit talking openly with founders who are considering it. Peer to peer, no agendas, no sales pitches.

Partner spin-off events

Each founding partner hosts their own event under the Raise & Runway banner throughout the year. Breakfast sessions, Barry's Bootcamp mornings, founder dinners, technical deep dives. Different formats, same community.

Founder stories

A growing library of honest accounts from founders who've used growth credit. When it worked, when it didn't, what they'd do differently, and what they wish someone had told them before signing.

The guide

A plain English explainer on growth credit: what it is, when it makes sense, when it doesn't, and what lenders are looking for.

The funding gap

"Britain has one of the largest savings industries in the world, with insurance and pension assets per capita around seven times the global average. Yet, just 0.007% of UK and Irish pension assets are invested in venture capital — that's less than £1 in every £14,000. In North America, that figure ranges from 0.5%–2% — that is $1 in every $50–200."

Dame Anne Glover, DBE · CEO, Amadeus Capital Partners Mansion House · 3 September 2025

$3bn

Capital under management

750+

UK scale-ups financed

15,000+

Jobs supported

Source — Growth Credit Association, 2025

Who it's for

Built for the people who move this market

Raise & Runway is deliberately cross-functional. The conversation only works when founders, lenders and advisors are in the same room.

Founders

You're scaling and want to know every option available to you

You've heard of growth credit but never had anyone explain it honestly. You want to understand when it works, when it doesn't, and whether it's right for your business right now.

Series A+ · £1m+ revenue · Growth stage

Lenders

You provide growth credit and want to be where the conversation is happening

You want to be in the room where the next generation of borrowers are learning what's possible. And you want to be part of building a market that works better for everyone in it.

Active in venture and growth lending

Advisors & Investors

You want to speak confidently about every funding option on the table

You work with Series A+ companies and want to be the person who can give founders honest, informed advice on growth credit alongside equity. VCs, law firms and advisors.

VCs · Law firms · Debt advisors

Where it begins

The launch night.
10 June, Soho.

The community launches with a night at The Little Scarlet Door in Soho. Not a conference, not a panel evening. A proper launch party with honest conversation at its centre. Joining the launch night means joining the community.

Date

10 June 2026

London Tech Week Fringe

Venue

The Little Scarlet Door

12–13 Greek Street, Soho W1D 4DL

Time

6:30pm – late

Programme until 10pm · party continues

Cost

Free to attend

By sign-up · curated for Series A+ founders, lenders and advisors

Request your place

6:30–7:15

Doors open

Cocktails on arrival, live saxophonist, HSBC branded area, canapes.

7:15–7:20

Welcome

Trish at SuLe: thanks to HSBC, what this community is, and why it exists.

7:20–7:30

HSBC Innovation Bank

Where the growth credit market is heading and what they're seeing from founders.

7:30–7:55

Founder panel

Three founders on when growth credit worked, when it didn't, and what they wish they'd known. Plus a VC perspective. Moderated by Mountside Ventures.

7:55–8:15

The Reverse Pitch

Three lenders pitch to the room. Founders vote live on who they found most compelling.

8:15–late

Close + party

Mountside closes the programme around 10pm. Music up, drinks flowing — the party continues. This is where the community starts.

Questions

Everything you want to know

Growth credit (also known as venture debt or venture lending) is a form of debt financing available to venture-backed or revenue-generating companies. Unlike equity, it doesn't require you to give up a share of your company. It's typically used alongside an equity round to extend runway, fund specific growth initiatives, or bridge to the next milestone.

Series A+ founders (minimum £1m revenue), active lenders in the venture and growth credit space, VCs, debt advisors and specialist law firms. Every event is curated to make sure the room is genuinely useful for everyone in it. The launch night is targeting 140+ attendees across all three groups.

The launch night is the beginning of the community, not a standalone event. Everyone who attends and opts in becomes part of the Raise & Runway community. Throughout the year we run founder roundtables, partner spin-off events, and educational sessions. You'll hear about all of it through the community and can choose what's relevant to you.

The launch night is free to attend. The community itself is free for founders. Some events throughout the year may have a cost attached depending on format and venue — we'll always be transparent about this in advance.

We are working with a small group of founding community partners. If you are a lender or law firm interested in being part of this, please get in touch via the sign-up form and we will be in touch directly.