PMV Start Loan

PMV Start Loan

Provides PMV Start Loan support for early companies, independent professionals, and freelancers in Flanders through concessional financing.

PMV (Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen) is the Flemish government's public investment company, and the PMV Start Loan is its subordinated loan product for newly established businesses in Flanders, Belgium. The instrument provides subordinated loan financing of up to €100,000 to companies, self-employed individuals, and liberal professionals in their first four years of operation. The loan carries a fixed annual interest rate of 3.5%, with a repayment term of 3 to 10 years and a capital repayment grace period of up to two years, giving early-stage businesses breathing room before principal payments begin.

Eligibility is restricted to applicants operating within the Flemish Region of Belgium, at a company age of no more than four years. Both for-profit companies and individual self-employed persons or liberal professionals qualify; nonprofits, universities, and research organizations are excluded. No sector restriction is applied — the instrument is sector-agnostic across the Flemish economy. This is a debt instrument with subordinated ranking, meaning it sits behind senior lenders in the capital structure, making it accessible when conventional bank financing is unavailable or insufficient for an early-stage venture.

Applications are submitted to PMV directly. Because it is a subordinated loan — not a grant — repayment is required. The instrument is best suited to founders who need gap financing to complement bank loans or family capital, and who can demonstrate a realistic path to revenue sufficient to service debt within the repayment schedule. Flemish startups in any sector who have been operating for fewer than four years and need working capital or investment financing should evaluate the PMV Start Loan as a bridge instrument before pursuing later-stage equity or mezzanine products.