For Entrepreneurs
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❖ Loans up to $250,000 ❖
funding starts with readiness
At River City Capital, we believe access to capital should be responsible, practical, and matched to the stage of your business.
Not every entrepreneur needs debt first. Some need customer discovery. Some need business planning. Some need market validation. Some need help understanding cash flow, personal credit, bank account activity, and what lenders look for. And some are ready to move into a formal loan application.
That is why every entrepreneur starts with the RCC Capital Readiness Profile through Spotlight (Powered By Ned)
Your profile helps RCC review basic business information, connected bank account activity, cash-flow trends, and readiness indicators. From there, we determine the best next step:
Referral to the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) or another business support partner
Continued capital-readiness support
An invitation to complete RCC’s formal loan application
A recommendation to strengthen your business before seeking debt
Completing the Capital Readiness Profile is not a loan application and does not guarantee financing. It is the first step in helping RCC and our partners understand where your business stands and how to help you move toward bankability.
◆ Operating in Memphis or Shelby County, TN
◆ For-profit small business, any stage
◆ Clear use of funds and ability to repay
◆ Open to coaching and technical assistance
The Business Capital Accelerator
A cohort-based readiness program that prepares Memphis entrepreneurs for capital — financials, projections, lender expectations, and the systems that make a business fundable.
What you'll need to apply
◆ Government-issued ID for all owners
◆ Two years of business + personal tax returns (if available)
◆ Year-to-date profit & loss and balance sheet
◆ Brief description of the business and use of funds
❖ Frequently Asked ❖
Common questions from entrepreneurs
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River City Capital is Memphis' community development finance platform and fund manager. We work with entrepreneurs, emerging developers, entrepreneur hubs, municipalities, and other partners to align capital, technical assistance, and local investment strategy. Through staged capital and strategic partnership, we help businesses and projects prove, build, scale, and sustain while strengthening neighborhood corridors and broader community outcomes.
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We serve the Shelby County area which includes the greater Memphis, TN area with a specific focus on low to moderate income areas of the city.
In addition, we work with entrepreneur hubs in other areas of TN as a community fund manager
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Our process starts with the RCC Capital Readiness Profile through Spotlight.
This profile allows you to share basic business information, connect bank account activity securely, and help RCC understand your current business stage, cash flow, and capital needs. Completing this profile is not the same as submitting a formal loan application.
After RCC reviews your Capital Readiness Profile, we will determine the most appropriate next step. Some entrepreneurs may be referred to TSBDC or another business support partner for customer discovery, business planning, market validation, budget understanding, or bankability education. Others may be invited to move into RCC’s formal loan application workflow.
Our goal is to match you with the right support at the right stage so capital helps your business grow instead of creating unnecessary pressure.
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No. The Capital Readiness Profile helps RCC determine whether your business is ready for a formal loan application or whether another form of support is the better next step.
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Bank account activity helps RCC and our partners better understand revenue trends, cash-flow patterns, account management, and your business’s ability to responsibly handle debt. This information can also help business support partners provide more targeted guidance around bankability, budgeting, pricing, and growth planning.
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You’ll need basic business and financial documents such as bank statements, tax returns, business formation documents, and a valid ID. Additional documents may be requested based on your loan type and business profile.
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We evaluate six (6) key areas of a loan applicant to determine the businesses’ ability to obtain and repay a loan request. Specifically we look at community impact, debt to income, debt to assets, available cash, available collateral as a secondary source of repayment, and personal credit history.
From that evaluation we determine in underwriting whether we will approve, decline, or counteroffer the loan application.
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You complete the formal RCC loan application only after RCC reviews your Capital Readiness Profile and determines that your business may be ready to move forward in the loan workflow.
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If your business is not ready for a formal loan application, RCC may refer you to TSBDC or another entrepreneur support partner.
That does not mean “no forever.” It means your best next step may be strengthening customer discovery, business planning, market validation, financial records, or cash-flow understanding before pursuing debt.
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At this time no, we do not provide loan capital for non owner occupied real estate investment as a landlord. We can help you connect with the dozens and dozens of lenders who specialize in that space.
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River CIty Capital has a proven track record of providing low cost capital to entrepreneurs in Memphis, TN through an array of custom tailored loan products. Banks and financial institutions benefit directly from our double bottom line approach. As a qualifying activity for CRA, banks receive CRA exam credit and positive financial return for helping us build disinvested communities through small business development. In addition, banks are able to purchase our LMI small business loans in a streamlined fashion.
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Visit the Donate tab to learn more about how your in-kind gift directly supports our programs providing readiness for and access to capital for entrepreneurs in Memphis.