When was Lula founded?

Lula was founded in 2014 and raised its 1st funding round 2 years after it was founded.

Where is Lula located?

Lula is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa.

Who is the current CEO of Lula?

Trevor Gosling of Lula. They have also founded 1 company.

How many employees does Lula have?

As of Sep 30, 2026, the latest employee count at Lula is 352.

Is Lula a funded company?

Lula is a funded company, having raised a total of $41.5M across 6 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a $***** Seed round, raised on Oct 06, 2016.

When was the latest funding round of Lula?

Lula's latest funding was a $***** Conventional Debt round on Feb 04, 2026, with participation from 1 investor.

Where does Lula rank among its competitors?

Lula ranks 2nd amongst 20 active competitors, of which 3 are funded. It stands 3rd in terms of total funding among its competitors. The most recent competitor to raise funding was Bridgement, which secured $20.3M in Jul, 2026.

Who are the top competitors of Lula?

Lula's top competitors include Greensill, Bridgement and Retail Capital. Among them, Bridgement secured the most recent funding round in July, 2026.

Lula - 2026 Company Profile, Team, Funding & Competitors

Lula is a series B company based in Cape Town (South Africa), founded in 2014 by Trevor Gosling and Neil Welman. It operates as a Provider of an internet-first bank offering digital banking services for businesses. Lula has raised $41.5M in funding from investors like IFC, Accion and Quona. The company has 20 active competitors, including 3 funded and 1 that has exited. Its top competitors include companies like Greensill, Bridgement and Retail Capital.

Company Details

Provider of an internet-first bank offering digital banking services for businesses. It provides users with a platform that offers banking services to freelancers, startups, growing businesses or SMEs, and more, by allowing them to open business accounts with deposits, business bank cards, payments, transfers, receive payments, savings, cash flow management, and more. It also offers multiple business loans, with a repayment calculator on their platform, and allows businesses to offer buy now pay later financing loans to their customers.

Website: lula.co.za
Social
Email ID: *****@lula.co.za
Phone Number: +27 **********

Key Metrics

Founded Year

2014

Location

Cape Town, South Africa

Stage

Series B

Total Funding

$41.5M in 6 rounds

Latest Funding Round

Conventional Debt, Feb 04, 2026, $*****

Investors

IFC & 16 more

Ranked

2^nd among 20 active competitors

Employee Count

352 as on Sep 30, 2026

Similar Companies

Funding Societies & 879 more

View Lula's full profile

Lula has raised a total funding of $41.5M over 6 rounds. Its first funding round was on Oct 06, 2016. Its latest funding round was a Conventional Debt round on Feb 04, 2026 for $*****. 1 investor participated in its latest round. Lula has 17 institutional investors.

Here is the list of recent funding rounds of Lula:

Filter this list

Date of Funding	Funding Amount	Round Name	Post-Money Valuation	Revenue Multiple	Lead Investors	Other Investors
Feb 04, 2026	1117114	Conventional Debt	2059362	8853754	1348886	1695606
Nov 12, 2025	3548916	Conventional Debt	7912247	7031908	9341127	6915374
Feb 02, 2023	1993806	Series B	1825916	8989902	Lightrock	IFC & 4 more

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View details of Lula's funding rounds and investors

The founders of Lula are Trevor Gosling and Neil Welman. Trevor Gosling is the CEO of Lula.

Here are the details of Lula's key team members:

Trevor Gosling: Co-Founder & CEO of Lula.
Neil Welman: Co-Founder & CTO of Lula.

View details of Lula's Founder profiles and Board Members

Lula's employee count trend

Lula has 352 employees as of Sep 26. Here is Lula's employee count trend over the years:

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Top competitors of Lula include Greensill, Bridgement and Retail Capital. Here is the list of Top 10 competitors of Lula, ranked by Tracxn score:

Rank	Company Details	Short Description	Total Funding	Investors	Tracxn Score
1st	Greensill 2011, London (United Kingdom), Series E	Provider of supply chain financing and related working capital loans	$1.7B	SoftBank Vision Fund, General Atlantic & 5 others	61/100
2nd	Lula 2014, Cape Town (South Africa), Series B	Provider of an internet-first bank offering digital banking services for businesses	$41.5M	Triodos Investment Management, Lightrock ... & 15 others	58/100
3rd	Bridgement 2016, Johannesburg (South Africa), Funding Raised	Online invoice financing platform	-	RMB, Capricorn Capital Group & 1 others	46/100
4th	Retail Capital 2011, Cape Town (South Africa), Acquired	Provider of flexible, unsecured business funding to small and medium enterprises	$41.7M	Crossfin, Triodos Investment Management	46/100
5th	WesBank 1970, Randburg (South Africa), Unfunded	Online platform for consumer and business loans	-	-	39/100
6th	SME South Africa 2014, Roodepoort (South Africa), Unfunded	Platform offering business loan solutions	-	-	35/100
7th	Anglo African Finance 1999, Stellenbosch (South Africa), Unfunded	Online lending platform for business loans	-	-	28/100
8th	Low Budget Loans 2004, Pretoria (South Africa), Unfunded	Provider of short-term personal loans to salaried individuals	-	-	24/100
9th	Izweafrica 2004, Johannesburg (South Africa), Funding Raised	Provider of secured and unsecured loans, savings, and investment solutions. This entity offers financial services to individuals and small businesses. Services include short-term loans and various savings and investment products designed to help customers grow their finances. A focus on accessibility and efficiency is central to its service delivery model. The firm also emphasizes responsible lending practices to mitigate financial risk for both the customer and the institution.	-	-	22/100
10th	Pumpkn Johannesburg (South Africa), Seed	Provider of financial solutions for agricultural and food SMEs. It offers various financing options, including working capital loans, asset financing, and invoice financing, designed to support businesses at different growth stages. The firm provides tailored funding to meet specific needs, assessing each applicant's situation rather than solely relying on credit scores. A tiered funding approach allows businesses to access progressively larger loan amounts as they demonstrate financial reliability and growth. The application process is designed for speed and efficiency, with funds often disbursed quickly upon approval.	-	Renew Capital	21/100