Tech founders are among the most financially capable borrowers in the UK market, yet they are also the most frequently misunderstood. In 2025, the disconnect between how founders create wealth and how lenders traditionally measure affordability has widened further. The majority of a founder’s net worth is often embedded in equity, options, or pending liquidity events. Their income may be deliberately low, irregular, or reinvested back into the business. Their shares may vest over time, be tied to performance conditions, or be subject to restrictions.

From a business and tax perspective, this approach is entirely rational. But it creates friction when dealing with traditional mortgage lenders. Mainstream affordability models depend on pay slips, SA302s, predictable dividends, and clean income histories—none of which reflect the realities of high-growth entrepreneurship.

Willow Private Finance works extensively with founders at every stage: early seed-backed entrepreneurs, Series B and C scale-up leaders, and late-stage founders preparing for acquisition or IPO. These clients routinely tell us that high-street banks “don’t understand how I earn money,” and they are right. That gap is precisely why private banks and specialist lenders now dominate founder lending in the £1m–£10m+ mortgage range.

Drawing on the same principles used in our articles on asset-based lending and international income assessment, this guide explains how tech founders can secure mortgages in 2025 by presenting their actual wealth—not just their declared income—in a way lenders can understand.

The Financial Profile of a Tech Founder in 2025

The modern tech founder’s financial profile looks nothing like that of a traditional borrower. Income is rarely the main driver of wealth. Instead, founders build value through equity accumulation, share options, long-term vesting, carried interest, and participation in a liquidity event that may be several years away.

The challenge is that these mechanisms create wealth that is often substantial but not immediately liquid. A founder may own millions in shares but draw a modest salary to preserve company capital. Some founders extract funds irregularly—perhaps following a funding round or revenue milestone—while others avoid drawing profits entirely until a meaningful exit is on the horizon. Even founders with extremely strong personal finances can appear “low income” on paper.

Traditional lenders struggle with this because they rely on rigid affordability calculations anchored in predictable, taxable pay. When income is irregular, too low, or not historically evidenced, the system breaks down. What does not break down, however, is the founder’s real wealth. That is where private banks step in—evaluating total asset position, business trajectory, equity value, and liquidity potential rather than the narrow lens of monthly salary.

How Private Banks Evaluate Founder Income

Private banks take a far more holistic view of a founder’s financial ecosystem than mainstream lenders. They understand that low salary is often a strategic choice rather than a sign of limited financial capability. Instead of focusing on salary, they examine the founder’s overall pattern of remuneration and cashflow. This may include dividends taken when commercially appropriate, director distributions aligned with revenue cycles, or funds accessed through personal liquidity reserves rather than formal salary.

They also analyse the founder’s broader financial environment. A company operating at scale—with institutional backing, strong burn-rate management, and a clear path to profitability—presents a more compelling picture than traditional documents ever could. A private bank’s underwriting team is used to reading cap tables, understanding the implications of vesting schedules, and assessing how founder wealth develops over time.

Where there is insufficient stable income to support traditional affordability tests, private banks rely more on assets and liquidity. They look at the founder’s personal investments, previous exit proceeds, cash reserves, and the financial durability of the company itself. In short, they operate from the assumption that entrepreneurial wealth requires a flexible and commercial approach—not a tick-box exercise.

How Lenders Value Shares, Equity and Options

Equity is the foundation of a founder’s wealth, yet it is the least understood asset type in mainstream underwriting. Most high-street lenders do not count shares, options, or RSUs toward affordability unless they are immediately liquid and easy to quantify. This excludes nearly all early- and mid-stage founders.

Private banks, by contrast, are accustomed to treating equity as a central part of a client’s wealth. They evaluate the sophistication of the company, the quality of investors, the stability of valuations, and the credibility of the vesting schedule. They differentiate between unvested options and vested shares; between restrictions that prevent early disposal and those that simply require notice; between speculative early-stage stakes and mature, institutional-grade equity positions.

This evaluation allows private banks to lend based on the founder’s true economic strength, even when liquidity is incomplete. Where a founder owns a meaningful percentage of a company progressing through successive funding rounds, lenders understand the real-world value of that equity—even if its liquidity is timed around future events. The stronger the company’s financial and commercial position, the greater the confidence a lender places in the founder’s long-term stability.

The Role of Liquidity Events in 2025 Lending

A liquidity event is often the turning point that transforms a founder’s paper wealth into cash liquidity. For founders preparing for IPOs, trade sales, secondary share disposals, or structured buyout rounds, the anticipated event can shape current mortgage strategy. Mainstream lenders cannot incorporate future liquidity into affordability, but private banks often can—especially where the event is credible and supported by professional documentation.

Some private banks will structure mortgages around expected liquidity, allowing founders to borrow more initially and reduce or refinance later when liquidity materialises. Where the company is late-stage with institutional backing, lenders may treat future liquidity almost as a secondary repayment strategy.

Even when liquidity is not imminent, private banks consider the founder’s overall financial lifespan. A founder who has built multiple companies, raised funding through reputable investors, or completed previous exits demonstrates a predictable pattern of wealth creation that lenders reward with greater flexibility.

These arrangements frequently overlap with asset-backed lending, where a founder uses investment portfolios from previous exits to secure more favourable terms. The combination of future liquidity and present-day asset strength enables private banks to create bespoke repayment pathways.

Why Mainstream Lenders Struggle and Private Banks Excel

High-street banks are built for high-volume, predictable cases. Their underwriting is designed to support fixed-income employees, not entrepreneurs whose wealth is tied to value creation rather than income extraction. Their affordability models simply cannot incorporate large equity positions, unvested options, or long-term vesting arrangements.

Private banks, on the other hand, exist to serve precisely these clients. Their underwriters understand equity. They understand dilution, burn rates, funding cycles, and how founder wealth matures through the business life cycle. They also have the ability to analyse global wealth—across investment portfolios, company shares, cash reserves, and long-term liquidity forecasts.

This capability allows private banks to lend to founders earning modest incomes but possessing extraordinary economic firepower. For many tech entrepreneurs, private banks are not a luxury—they are the only lenders able to interpret their true financial position.

Documentation Tech Founders Need in 2025

The paperwork required for founder mortgages reflects their complexity, but it is manageable when handled correctly. Founders typically need to provide company valuation summaries, cap tables, shareholder agreements, vesting schedules, and evidence of vested equity. Private banks may request current financials, investor updates, or liquidity forecasts, especially for late-stage companies.

Traditional documents—such as SA302s, tax returns, or accounts—are still required, but they are not the centrepiece of the application. Instead, lenders focus on establishing a clear picture of the founder’s equity position, company health, liquidity outlook, and longer-term wealth trajectory.

Founders operating internationally or with multi-country income may need additional verification, similar to the complexities explored in our guide on multi-country income mortgages. In these cases, private banks are even more important, as they are equipped to interpret cross-border wealth and multi-jurisdiction income.

Challenges That Often Affect Founder Applications

The most common challenge founders face is that their income appears too low or inconsistent on paper, even when their real financial position is strong. Another challenge is timing. When founders are in the middle of a funding round or on the brink of a liquidity event, equity documentation may be evolving. Underwriters may need additional clarity before proceeding.

A different type of challenge arises when company valuations change rapidly. While valuation volatility is normal in the tech sector, lenders need a stable reference point. This can require additional explanation or support from the company’s CFO or finance team.

Finally, founders who rely heavily on future liquidity may struggle with lenders who do not have the capability to evaluate such events. In these cases, only a private bank with deep experience in entrepreneurial wealth can deliver an appropriate solution.

Smart Mortgage Strategies for Tech Founders in 2025

The best outcomes arise when founders build mortgage strategy around their wealth profile, not their income. This may involve maintaining liquidity outside the company, creating personal investment portfolios to support borrowing, or timing applications around funding events when valuations are clear.

Some founders choose to borrow through company or SPV structures to align with long-term wealth planning, though this requires additional documentation and governance. Others rely on asset-backed lending, using portfolios from previous exits to unlock more favourable terms.

The unifying principle is preparation. Founders who assemble documentation early, engage their finance teams, and work with advisors who understand equity-based lending secure faster approvals and stronger results. Private banks respond extremely well to structured, complete information.

Hypothetical Scenario: How Founder Mortgages Work in Practice

A typical example might involve a founder earning a salary of £75,000 but holding equity worth several million pounds, backed by institutional investors following a successful Series C round. A mainstream lender would decline based on income alone. A private bank, however, reviews the company’s valuation history, the founder’s vested equity, investment statements from previous ventures, and their overall liquidity position. The result might be a £1.5–£3m mortgage structured on an interest-only basis, aligned with the founder’s wider financial trajectory.

Another scenario could involve a founder who has exited a previous startup and invested the proceeds into a diversified portfolio. Even if their new venture is pre-revenue, the strength of their existing assets, combined with their track record, enables a private bank to lend confidently.

These examples illustrate the essence of founder lending: wealth structure matters far more than salary.

Outlook for 2025 and Beyond

The tech sector remains strong, and the founder lending market will continue to grow. Private banks increasingly position themselves as long-term partners for founders, offering mortgages, liquidity facilities, and asset-based lending tailored to entrepreneurial wealth. As equity-heavy compensation becomes the norm, lenders will lean further into commercial assessments rather than traditional affordability models.

For founders, the key trend is clear: your mortgage strategy must reflect your wealth structure—not your payslip. Those who take this approach will consistently unlock better lending outcomes in 2025 and beyond.

How Willow Private Finance Can Help

Willow Private Finance specialises in securing mortgages for founders, entrepreneurs, and equity-rich clients with non-traditional income profiles. We understand cap tables, vesting, funding cycles, investor dynamics, and the commercial realities of tech-scale growth. We work directly with founders, CFOs, finance teams, and private banks to present financial profiles in the exact format lenders require.

Our expertise ensures that lenders properly recognise a founder’s real wealth—equity, liquidity potential, and global assets—rather than relying on narrow interpretations of income. Whether purchasing, refinancing, or securing a high-value mortgage during a funding round, Willow ensures founders are positioned for success.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Can tech founders get a mortgage with low salary in 2025?
Yes. Private banks evaluate total wealth—including equity and liquidity—not just income.

Q2: Will lenders consider share options or RSUs?
Private banks will. They assess vested equity, option value, and long-term liquidity.

Q3: Can upcoming liquidity events support borrowing?
Yes. Many private banks structure mortgages around expected exits or secondary sales.

Q4: What documentation do founders need?
Typically valuations, cap tables, equity statements, vesting schedules, tax returns, and liquidity evidence.

Q5: Are private banks better for founders?
Almost always. They understand equity-based wealth in a way mainstream lenders cannot.



Q6: Do founder mortgages take longer?
They can, especially during funding cycles, but early preparation keeps timelines smooth.

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