From chrysanthemum farms to tech campuses
Sunnyvale had chrysanthemum farms from the 1950s to the 1970s. Today it is one of the core cities of Silicon Valley, the birthplace of the video game industry and the former home of Atari. Many technology companies are headquartered there and more operate there, including several aerospace and defense firms. The city was also home to Onizuka Air Force Station, the windowless "Blue Cube" satellite control facility, which closed in 2010 and has since been demolished.
That history matters because it explains who does business here now. A large share of Sunnyvale's smaller companies sell to bigger ones: engineering and design consultancies, staffing agencies, IT and AV installers, office furniture and facilities contractors, caterers, print shops, and specialist manufacturers.
The net-terms problem
Large customers set the payment terms. Net 30, net 45 or net 60 are common, and the clock usually starts only when an invoice is approved, not when the work is done. A vendor that bills $100,000 a month may have well over that amount out in receivables at any time, while paying its own staff every two weeks. For illustration only: a five-person consultancy that pays roughly $50,000 per payroll cycle and waits about 60 days on its biggest client can be carrying several payroll cycles' worth of work it has not been paid for yet. These figures are not our terms.
Nothing is wrong with that business. It is simply growing faster than its customers pay, and a line of credit is built for exactly that.
Draw, deliver, repay
- Draw when a new project or a large purchase order starts to cost money.
- Deliver the work and invoice promptly; chasing approvals early shortens the wait.
- Repay when the customer pays, so the line is ready for the next project.
Tracking draws against open invoices keeps the line honest. If the balance keeps climbing while receivables stay flat, the issue is margins or pricing, not timing.
Applying
| What you provide | What to expect |
|---|---|
| About three months of business bank statements | No tax returns required |
| A 5-minute application | A soft credit pull; FICO 500+ considered |
| The amount you need | $25,000 to $5,000,000, funded in as little as 24 hours once approved |
Sole proprietors, such as independent consultants, can apply. If you are buying machinery rather than covering receivables, a separate equipment purchase may make more sense; for other options see Sunnyvale business funding.