Product · New-practice path
Open your first med-spa with the capital stack already sequenced.
Request financing optionsFor owners opening or acquiring a first/new practice — not replacing a device and not adding a second location. We coordinate the device stack, the pre-revenue working-capital bridge, and the owner-occupied build-out lane when it fits. Typical all-in projects land around $150k–$700k, with a realistic 30–60 day funding path.
The launch file
One intake. Three coordinated tickets.
- All-in
- $150k–$700k
- Funding
- 30–60 days
- Lanes
- 3 tickets
The opening file
A first practice is a sequencing problem, not a single-device purchase.
Opening greenfield or acquiring your first clinic means equipment, soft costs, and the revenue ramp arrive on different clocks. This path keeps the three needs visible together so the device quote does not consume the cash you need to open and the build-out does not get forced into the wrong short-term product.
Why this path exists
Keep launch cash available for the work that happens before revenue.
A new laser may be easy to quote, but a new practice also needs permits, deposits, treatment-room finishes, inventory, marketing, licensing, payroll, and enough runway to reach the first repeat visit. The bundled structure lets each dollar be matched to the collateral and repayment logic that actually fits it.
- Audience
- First location
- Range
- $150k–$700k
- Clock
- 30–60 days
This path fits when
- You are opening your first clinic or taking over a first practice.
- The equipment, opening runway, and build-out need to be planned together.
- You can show the operator, site, vendor scope, and projected card-volume story.
Not the right lane
Replacing equipment at an operating clinic belongs on equipment upgrade. Adding a second location belongs on expansion financing.
Bundled capital stack
Equipment, bridge, and owner-occupied build-out — each on its own logic.
The desk does not treat a first-practice file like a replacement-device request. The equipment lane follows the asset, the MCA-style bridge follows the launch cash cycle, and SBA 504 is added only when an owner-occupied real-estate and build-out project qualifies.
New equipment financing
$75k–$400k of the all-in plan
- Covers
- The launch device stack: lasers, IPL, RF / microneedling, body contouring, hydrafacial-class platforms, and related installation or training.
- Underwritten against
- Vendor quotes, device useful life, service mix, and the asset itself as collateral.
- Pace
- Often the fastest lane once the quote and vendor package are clean.
MCA-style working-capital bridge
$25k–$150k opening runway
- Covers
- Soft costs, launch marketing, opening inventory, insurance and licensing gaps, and pre-revenue payroll while the first patients and memberships ramp.
- Underwritten against
- Projected card volume, opening plan, cash reserve, and the remittance the operating model can carry.
- Pace
- Designed to bridge the first 30–90 days, not to replace a long-term term loan.
SBA 504 owner-occupied build-out
When the owner-occupied real-estate lane fits
- Covers
- Owner-occupied real estate, qualifying build-out, and long-term equipment when the practice will operate from the property.
- Underwritten against
- Site control, project budget, 51%+ owner occupancy, appraisal, and the bank / CDC structure.
- Pace
- The long pole in a coordinated file; plan for diligence while the faster lanes move.
Illustrative all-in project shapes
The total project is the useful number at intake. The desk then assigns each dollar to the lane that can carry it instead of forcing equipment, ramp cash, and real estate into one mismatched approval.
Lean opening
$150k–$250k
Core device stack plus the first operating reserve; SBA 504 is usually only relevant if real estate is part of the project.
Full launch
$250k–$450k
Multi-room equipment, a real pre-revenue bridge, and a build-out plan for a full-service med-spa opening.
Owner-occupied build
$450k–$700k
The larger device stack plus qualifying real estate and build-out, with SBA 504 considered for the long-term portion.
Qualifying profile
Operator intent, a defined project, and a runway the launch can carry.
Startups do not have an established practice’s trailing revenue file. They do need a coherent opening package: who is operating, what is being built, what is being purchased, and how the first 30–90 days are funded.
What the desk reads first
No trailing twelve months yet? Bring a coherent launch file.
A first-practice underwrite cannot lean on an established patient book. It can still be clear: the operator, the scope, the collateral, and the runway should all tell the same opening story.
A real operator is attached to the opening
Owner-operator experience, clinical or management plan, clean personal-credit story, and enough skin in the game to carry the launch.
The project is scoped before the file is sent
Lease or purchase terms, build-out budget, vendor quotes, device list, and a clear opening date give the desk something concrete to size.
The ramp has a believable cash plan
Projected card volume, membership or package assumptions, opening reserve, and a 30–90 day bridge need that match the service mix.
The SBA lane has a qualifying use case
For owner-occupied real estate, the practice needs to occupy at least 51% of the property; lease-only or non-owner-occupied files can use the other lanes.
Good fit
The opening plan is specific enough to price.
The desk does not require a startup to pretend it has revenue it does not have. It does require a defensible device budget, a location and build-out plan, a credible operator, and a runway sized for the first patients to arrive.
Route the right lane
Replacing equipment at an operating clinic belongs on the equipment-upgrade path. Adding location two belongs on the expansion-financing path. This page is for the first opening or first acquisition.
Funding timeline
Thirty to sixty days to a funded opening plan.
The faster tickets can move while the long-form real-estate work catches up. The timeline below is the realistic coordinated range for a clean file, not a promise of approval or a guarantee that every tranche closes on the same day.
Intake, scope, and lane selection
Send the device list, location or acquisition details, build-out scope, operator profile, and opening runway. The desk routes equipment, bridge, and SBA 504 in parallel where the facts support it.
Days 1–5
Working-capital bridge and equipment pre-screen
The bridge and device ticket move first because they can be sized from the operating plan and vendor package. This is where soft costs and the pre-revenue ramp get covered.
Days 5–20
SBA 504 diligence when real estate applies
Site control, appraisal, project budget, occupancy, and bank / CDC underwriting run while the faster tickets progress. The SBA lane is optional, but it sets the outer edge when included.
Days 15–45
Close, fund, and open with runway
The coordinated file closes as the documents clear: vendor funding for equipment, working capital for the ramp, and the owner-occupied build-out tranche when approved.
Days 30–60
Thirty to sixty days is the realistic coordinated range. Equipment and bridge lanes can move sooner; a property purchase, appraisal, or complex build-out can push the SBA 504 piece toward the far end. The intake lets the desk tell you which clock applies before you commit to an opening date.
Self-qualify in sixty seconds
Size the full opening stack before you choose a lane.
Start with the device and the soft-cost pad that gets you to opening day. Then turn on the owner-occupied 504 lane if real estate or a qualifying build-out belongs in the project. The figures below are illustrative and keep short-term runway distinct from fully amortizing debt.
Self-qualify in sixty seconds
See the full opening stack before you choose a lane.
Put in the device, the cash it takes to reach opening day, and an optional owner-occupied project. The estimator keeps the equipment note, short-term runway, and 504 real-estate lane separate so the monthly picture stays useful.
Typical equipment lane: $75k–$400k.
Permits, deposits, payroll, launch spend, and the first cash cushion; typical pad: $25k–$150k.
Specialty-equipment orientation band; this is not a quote.
Optional SBA 504 lane
Add owner-occupied real estate or a qualifying build-out to see the long-term parity case alongside the faster equipment and runway lanes.
Total bundled capital needed
$200,000
Device price + opening runway. This is the illustrative project-size view; it is not the debt principal for every lane.
Opening stack at a glance
- Equipment
- $150,000
- Opening runway
- $50,000
- SBA 504 project
- Off
Indicative monthly payment breakdown
What the active lanes could carry.
Illustrative cash need · updates live
Equipment note · $150,000 principal · 60 mo · ~14% APR
$3,490/mo
Fully amortizing equipment estimate against the device price; no down payment is modeled here.
Working-capital / MCA-equivalent · $50,000 pad · 1.25× / 9 mo
$6,944/mo
Short-term daily-ACH equivalent for the opening pad. It is not an amortizing loan or an approval quote.
Combined monthly cash need
$10,435/mo
The sum of the active illustrative payment lines above. It is a planning number, not a commitment to fund.
Representative MCA comparison: the same $50,000 soft-cost pad would model at ~$6,944/mo in a 1.25× factor, 9-month daily-ACH equivalent stack — not an amortizing loan or an approval quote.
This estimator is illustrative — submit intake for a real quote. Equipment and SBA figures use fully amortizing math; the working-capital line is a short-term MCA comparison. Your actual structure, pricing, eligibility, and timing depend on the file and project.
Qualification, in plain language
Four answers before you send the opening file.
The short version of what makes a first-practice file workable, how the pieces fit, and what the coordinated timeline really means.
Send the opening file to the desk
Tell us what you are opening — and what has to be funded first.
Start the existing intake with the exact routing tag “Opening or acquiring a new practice”. The Review step lets you add the device stack, soft-cost runway, location, and owner-occupancy details the desk needs for a 30–60 day plan.
On the Review step: the notes field starts with “Opening or acquiring a new practice — ”. Edit it freely; the desk reads the detail you submit.
Independent vertical-credit desk · MedGuild Capital is not a lender. Deal ranges, underwriting signals, and the 30–60 day timeline above are illustrative first-pass guidance — not an offer to fund, not a comment on any applicant’s file, and not a guarantee of term-sheet outcomes from any bank, CDC, equipment, or working-capital partner.