Startups > Selina

Selina

Selina Finance helps UK homeowners access home equity in 24 hours.

Debt Financing $361M total Founded 2019 London, England

Selina Finance provides fast, flexible secured lending products to UK homeowners, including HELOCs and homeowner loans backed by property equity. The company differentiates through speed (funds in 24 hours), transparent pricing (starting at 4.95% APR), and flexibility (interest only on amounts drawn). Founded in 2019 and backed by $361M in total funding, Selina has processed over $100M in HELOC lending and won industry awards for service excellence.

Problem solved

Homeowners need fast access to capital secured against their property without the 6-8 week timelines and high costs of traditional secured lending.

Target customer

UK homeowners aged 18-80 with property equity seeking flexible credit lines or secured loans; financial brokers distributing secured lending products

Website LinkedIn Crunchbase

Founders

Hubert Fenwick

Co-Founder & CEO

Previous Private Equity Associate at Bain Capital; worked at Bain & Company and Morgan Stanley; BA Economics from University of Cambridge.

Andrea Olivari

Co-Founder

Angel investor and board member; detailed background not publicly available.

Leonard Benning

Co-Founder & COO

Detailed background not publicly available.

Michael Biemann

Former Co-Founder

No longer active with company; detailed background not publicly available.

Funding history

Series A $42M May 2020 Led by Picus Capital, Global Founders Capital · £12M equity, £30M debt financing

Series B $150M February 7, 2022 Led by Lightrock · $35M equity; $115M debt from Goldman Sachs and GGC

Total raised: $361M

Industries

Financial Services FinTech Banking

Pricing

Interest-based pricing starting at 4.95% APR for secured loans. No setup or early repayment fees. Loan sizes up to £500,000 repayable over 30 years; minimum £5,000. Five-year fixed rate option available with no early repayment charges.

Notable customers

Not disclosed publicly; case study: FinSpace Group customer secured £65K loan for home improvements with 5-day turnaround

Integrations

Hometrack (automated valuations via broker portal and API); Vanquis Banking Group (funding line); Waterfall Asset Management (funding line); Brightstar (distribution partnership); Equifax (credit bureau)

Website

selinaadvance.com/

Competitors

Fleet Mortgages

Competitor in secured lending space; Fleet focuses on traditional mortgages with longer timelines.

Scroll Finance

Competitor in secured lending; less emphasis on speed and flexibility than Selina.

more2life

Competitor in secured lending market; positioning differs from Selina's speed-first approach.

Zopa

Broader lending platform; not specialized in home equity and secured products like Selina.

Lendable

Alternative lending platform; different product focus and market positioning from Selina.

Why this matters: Selina has established market leadership in UK home equity lending through exceptional speed (24-hour funding), innovative product design (interest-only HELOCs), and strong institutional backing ($361M raised). The company's recent B Corp certification, industry awards (Moneyfacts 2025, National Mortgage Awards), and continuous product enhancements (no-valuation products, five-year fixes) demonstrate strong execution in a traditionally underserved market.

Best for: UK homeowners and financial brokers needing fast, flexible access to secured credit against property equity with transparent pricing and no setup fees.

Use cases

Emergency Home Repairs

Homeowners facing urgent repairs can access capital in 24 hours instead of waiting 6-8 weeks with traditional lenders. One broker client secured £65K for time-sensitive home improvements in just 5 days.

Home Improvements & Extensions

Homeowners can draw only what they need from a HELOC, paying interest only on used funds, making it cost-effective for phased renovation projects.

Debt Consolidation

Homeowners can consolidate higher-interest debt into a fixed-rate secured loan starting at 4.95% APR, with repayment periods up to 30 years.

Broker Distribution

Financial brokers can offer clients fast, flexible secured lending without the operational burden, using automated valuations and streamlined affordability checks.

Alternatives

High Street Banks Traditional banks offer secured lending but with 6-8 week approval times and higher friction; Selina delivers funds in 24 hours.

Fleet Mortgages Alternative secured lender but lacks Selina's speed and transparent pricing model.

Specialist Mortgage Brokers Manual-heavy process; Selina automates valuations and affordability checks for faster processing.

FAQ

What does Selina Finance do? +

Selina Finance provides fast, flexible secured lending products to UK homeowners. The company offers two main products: HELOCs (Home Equity Lines of Credit) where borrowers only pay interest on funds drawn down, and homeowner loans for fixed amounts secured against property. Funds are available in as little as 24 hours with transparent pricing starting at 4.95% APR.

How much does Selina Finance cost? +

Interest-based pricing starts at 4.95% APR for secured loans. There are no setup fees or early repayment charges. Loan amounts range from £5,000 to £500,000, repayable over up to 30 years. A five-year fixed rate option is also available with no early repayment charges.

What are alternatives to Selina Finance? +

Main alternatives include Fleet Mortgages (traditional secured lender, slower), Scroll Finance (secured lending with different positioning), more2life (home equity specialist), and high street banks (longer approval timelines of 6-8 weeks). Zopa and Lendable offer broader lending products but lack Selina's home equity specialization.

Who uses Selina Finance? +

Target customers include UK homeowners aged 18-80 seeking fast access to capital backed by property equity, and financial brokers who distribute secured lending products. Customers use Selina for home improvements, emergency repairs, debt consolidation, and other capital needs.

How does Selina Finance compare to Fleet Mortgages? +

Selina emphasizes speed (24-hour funding vs. traditional 6-8 weeks) and flexibility (HELOC products with interest-only on drawn funds). Both are secured lenders, but Selina has stronger tech integration, automated valuations, and faster approval processes. Fleet focuses more on traditional mortgage products with longer timelines.

How quickly can I get funds? +

Selina can deliver funds in as little as 24 hours from application approval. Recent enhancements include no-valuation products with automated valuations (AVMs) and instant valuation figures at application stage, further streamlining the process.

What makes Selina different from banks? +

Unlike traditional banks that take 6-8 weeks, Selina delivers funds in 24 hours. The company offers HELOC products where you only pay interest on amounts drawn, not the full credit line. There are no setup or early repayment fees, and transparent pricing starts at 4.95% APR. Banks also view Selina as a partner for customer retention rather than direct competition.