Bodetree goes freemium to help local banks lend to small business

Most lending startups want to disrupt banks. Bodetree wants to fix them.

Bodetree aims to help small businesses better understand their finances and get loans. The startup, which first launched its analytics service in 2010, expanded late last year to help small businesses secure funding. Less than three months in, Bodetree has something to announce: Its analytics and automated funding services are now free.

Bodetree also tells us that it is now platform agnostic, with support for Xero and Quickbooks (Freshbooks support is on the way). The company claims it will surpass 35,000 small businesses by the end of the month. Of course, if you want access to Bodetree’s more advanced features, you’ll have to pay up $50 per month.

Bodetree vs alternative funding

Unlike most startups, Bodetree isn’t interested in Disruption™. This makes it appear significantly more conservative alongside startups like OnDeck, Lending Club and even Kickstarter. While alternative funding sources compete with banks, Bodetree is simply attempting to tap into the reserves banks already have.

Working with regional banks can’t be easy. Bodetree is clearly operating in an industry lacking in innovation, which makes its fight for growth appear challenging. Difficulties aside, the company tells us it has signed up eight banks with a total presence in 32 states over the last three months. Those eight banks alone represent over $45 billion in assets. If you ask us, that’s not a bad starting point.