--- title: "Start Up Loans: search popularity in the United Kingdom" description: "A UK government-backed scheme that lends to people starting a business. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/start-up-loans" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Start Up Loans: search popularity in the United Kingdom A UK government-backed scheme that lends to people starting a business. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Brand**: Start Up Loans - **Owned by**: British Business Bank - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among business lenders**: 5.3% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Business lenders | 4 | 5.3% | 4.4K | - [Business lenders](/demand/uk/categories/uk-business-lenders) ## Top business lenders in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Start Up Loans appeared in all five answers. Start Up Loans is the third most recommended of the six. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Funding Circle | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | iwoca | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Start Up Loans | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | NatWest | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Allica Bank | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Fleximize | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about business lenders - Asked ChatGPT "Which business lender should I use in the UK?": 1. Funding Circle, 2. iwoca, 3. Allica Bank, 4. Start Up Loans - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best business lenders in the UK?": 1. Funding Circle, 2. iwoca, 3. Allica Bank, 4. Start Up Loans, 5. NatWest - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best business lender in the UK for startup funding?": 1. Start Up Loans, 2. iwoca, 3. Funding Circle, 4. Fleximize - Searched Google, AI Overview "best business lender": 1. Funding Circle, 2. iwoca, 3. NatWest, 4. Start Up Loans - Searched Google, AI Overview "small business loans uk": 1. Start Up Loans, 2. NatWest, 3. iwoca, 4. Funding Circle Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 19, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Start Up Loans changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Start Up Loans in the United Kingdom fell from 6.6K to 4.4K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Start Up Loans’ share of searches among business lenders in the United Kingdom decreased from 7.3% to 5.3%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Start Up Loans’ share of searches among business lenders in the United Kingdom peaked at 10% in August 2026 and was lowest at 5% in June 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom business lenders in September 2026? - In September 2026, Funding Circle gained share of searches among business lenders in the United Kingdom, from 33.6% to 39.5%. - In September 2026, Fleximize gained share of searches among business lenders in the United Kingdom, from 2.4% to 2.9%. - In September 2026, Start Up Loans lost share of searches among business lenders in the United Kingdom, from 10% to 5.3%. - In September 2026, iwoca lost share of searches among business lenders in the United Kingdom, from 27.5% to 26.5%. - In September 2026, Allica Bank lost share of searches among business lenders in the United Kingdom, from 24.4% to 23.9%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for NatWest in the United Kingdom fell 15.8% over 12 measured months, from 1.9K to 1.6K in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Business lenders | 6.6K | 7.3% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Business lenders | 5.4K | 7.3% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Business lenders | 4.4K | 6% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Business lenders | 6.6K | 7.3% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Business lenders | 5.4K | 7.2% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Business lenders | 6.6K | 7.3% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Business lenders | 5.4K | 6.5% | 4 | | May 2026 | Business lenders | 4.4K | 5.7% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Business lenders | 4.4K | 5% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Business lenders | 4.4K | 5% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Business lenders | 8.1K | 10% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | Business lenders | 4.4K | 5.3% | 4 | ## How are Start Up Loans’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Start Up Loans’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “start up loans” - “startup loans” ## Which business lenders compete with Start Up Loans? - [Funding Circle](/demand/uk/brands/funding-circle): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/funding-circle-vs-start-up-loans - [iwoca](/demand/uk/brands/iwoca): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/iwoca-vs-start-up-loans - [Allica Bank](/demand/uk/brands/allica-bank): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/allica-bank-vs-start-up-loans - [Fleximize](/demand/uk/brands/fleximize): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/fleximize-vs-start-up-loans - [NatWest](/demand/uk/brands/natwest): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/natwest-vs-start-up-loans ## Who owns Start Up Loans? Start Up Loans is owned by British Business Bank. Brandwave does not track any other brands owned by British Business Bank. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Who owns Start Up Loans? Start Up Loans is owned by British Business Bank. Brandwave does not track any other brands owned by British Business Bank. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Start Up Loans: search popularity in the United Kingdom". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/start-up-loans This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/start-up-loans. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.