Key Takeaways
- SBA loans are unavailable to E-3 holders — revenue-based funding works on ecommerce revenue directly
- Bankable funds up to $5M with 48-hour decisions
- Inventory purchase, ad spend, and warehouse costs are all fundable use cases
- Minimum 6 months trading history and consistent monthly revenue required
- Your Shopify, Amazon, or Stripe data can supplement bank statements
Ecommerce businesses operated by E-3 holders face a specific capital problem: growth requires inventory investment upfront, but revenue arrives weeks later. The working capital gap is the single biggest constraint on ecommerce scaling. Traditional banks don't have good products for this cycle. SBA loans — even if E-3 holders were eligible — are too slow and too rigid for inventory-driven businesses.
Revenue-based funding is structurally well-suited to ecommerce. Repayments flex with daily sales volume, which means slow periods don't create cash crunches. Fast periods accelerate payoff. The model matches the actual cash flow pattern of an online business better than any fixed-payment loan product.
Bankable evaluates your ecommerce business on revenue consistency, growth trajectory, and bank statement health. We're familiar with the dynamics of DTC brands, Amazon sellers, Shopify merchants, and multi-channel operators. Check your Bankability Score to see your funding range.
The E-3 Funding Barrier
The SBA's 100% citizen/national ownership rule disqualifies every E-3 holder from government-backed loans — regardless of how long you've been in the US, how profitable your business is, or how strong your credit score is. Banks that primarily originate SBA loans have no viable product to offer you. That's not a reflection of your business quality; it's a policy gap that Bankable was built to bridge.
Revenue-based funding through Bankable requires no green card, no citizenship, and no SBA involvement. What matters: your business generates consistent revenue, has been operating for at least 6 months, and has a US business bank account. That's the core of what we evaluate. Check your Bankability Score to see your options in minutes.
Challenges in This Sector
- Inventory capital requirements scale with growth — successful products require large purchase orders that outpace current cash reserves
- Ad spend must be pre-funded — Meta and Google don't offer 30-day payment terms
- SBA loans categorically unavailable to E-3 holders regardless of business performance
- Bank lines of credit for ecommerce are rare — most banks don't understand inventory as collateral
- Marketplace payment holds (Amazon Net-30, Shopify payment delays) create float gaps
- Supplier minimum order quantities increase as you scale, requiring larger capital commitments
Funding Solutions for E-3 Holders
- Inventory Financing: Fund purchase orders and inventory builds based on your sales velocity. Repay as goods sell.
- Revenue-Based Funding: $50K–$5M based on monthly ecommerce revenue. No fixed payment schedule.
- Ad Spend Capital: Pre-fund Meta, Google, and TikTok campaigns with capital structured around your customer acquisition payback period.
- Warehouse & Fulfilment Capital: Fund 3PL deposits, warehouse leases, and operational scaling costs.
- Multi-Channel Expansion: Capital to expand from DTC into wholesale, Amazon, or international markets.
E-3 Ecommerce: The Australian Advantage
Australian entrepreneurs running ecommerce businesses in the US often have a structural advantage: they understand both US and Australian consumer markets, giving them a natural edge in sourcing Australian products (or aesthetics) for the US market, or vice versa. Australian wellness, beauty, and lifestyle products have strong premium positioning in the US. Several E-3-operated brands in these categories have scaled to $1M–$10M in annual revenue within 2–3 years.
The funding gap hits hardest during scale-up phases — when you're adding SKUs, testing new categories, or entering retail channels. Bankable has funded ecommerce operators at precisely these inflection points.
Revenue Multiples for Ecommerce
Bankable's ecommerce funding is typically structured at 1–2x your average monthly revenue for working capital products. For businesses with strong growth trajectories (30%+ MoM), we can stretch to higher multiples. Your Bankability Score will give you a personalised estimate based on your actual revenue data.
Capital Products Available
Revenue-Based Funding
Up to $5M based on your monthly revenue. No green card, no SBA. 48-hour decisions.
Apply Now →Equipment Financing
Asset-backed funding for equipment — available to non-citizen business owners.
Check Eligibility →Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Bankable offers revenue-based funding to E-3 holders based on business revenue — no green card or SBA involvement required.
Yes. We can incorporate ecommerce platform data alongside bank statements for a more complete picture of your business performance.
Inventory purchases, ad spend (Meta, Google, TikTok), warehouse costs, fulfilment infrastructure, new product launches, and multi-channel expansion.
You repay a fixed percentage of daily sales — typically 10–20%. When sales are high, you repay more. When sales slow, payments reduce automatically. No fixed monthly payment.
Bankable typically requires $15K+ in consistent monthly revenue. Ecommerce businesses with seasonal spikes are evaluated on a trailing average, not peak months.
If you've been operating for 6+ months with consistent revenue growth, we can often accommodate high-growth businesses even at smaller absolute revenue levels.
No. Revenue-based funding is secured by a general business lien, not specific inventory. We don't take a security interest in your stock.
Funding is issued to your business entity. Your visa status doesn't affect the funding decision or the repayment structure.
Seasonal businesses are fundable. We evaluate your trailing 6-month average and structure repayment accordingly. Summer-heavy or Q4-heavy businesses are well-understood.
Yes. We work with ecommerce operators across categories and understand the specific dynamics of cross-market brands, Australian-positioned products, and international supply chains.