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Why Thread Capital?

Small-business ownership is not for the faint of heart. Your willingness to take risks and start a small business, deserves to be supported. Now more than ever, North Carolina needs to help its existing small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs wherever you are located, whether it’s a big city, a small town, or a rural crossroads. After all, it has been shown that it will be you, the risk-taking entrepreneur pursuing your own dreams, who will create the bulk of new jobs in our state. Our economy cannot grow without you.

Thread Capital is your first step in joining a more robust, inclusive ecosystem of entrepreneurship in North Carolina, one that gives you an opportunity to achieve your small business dreams.

We connect small business to opportunity.

Partners in Success

Thread Capital is your trusted advisor, helping your small business navigate a turbulent world. We work with both entrepreneurs just getting started and established businesses ready to grow.

Whether it’s a $500 loan or a $5 million loan, we are here to help you find the financing your business needs. And we guarantee your needs will get the personal attention they deserve, no matter the size.

We count our success in the number and diversity of small businesses we help launch and expand, not just the amount of money we lend. That is why we also provide you access to the coaching and connections you may need to maximize the full potential of your small business.

Woven into the Fabric of North Carolina

Thread Capital is a nonprofit organization focused on ensuring that all residents of North Carolina have access to the resources they need to start and grow businesses. We know that entrepreneurs are passionate about improving the trajectory of their families and their communities. Thread Capital provides access to capital, coaching and connections in the belief that, with these tools, entrepreneurs will create jobs and promote more equitable economic mobility in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

The NC Rural Center launched Thread Capital to better assist North Carolina’s small businesses in the long recovery from the Great Recession. Analysis of small business lending data in the state brought into sharp focus the lack of available funding for beginning entrepreneurs to start their businesses and for established owners to grow and expand. The Rural Center made the decision to double down on its nearly 30-year legacy supporting rural entrepreneurs by establishing a standalone nonprofit lending entity dedicated to delivery of capital to the state’s small business community. The standalone nonprofit will be able to apply for a Community Development Financial Institution certification and build robust partnerships with banks and other community lenders to create an inclusive capital ecosystem for entrepreneurs. The launch of Thread Capital represents a milestone in the Center’s long and ongoing commitment to nurture and support the small business owners who keep North Carolina’s economy running.