About Nimbus

Midlands-based Nimbus has built a market-leading web application, known as Nimbus Maps, that helps property professionals – including investors, developers, architects, planners, occupiers (e.g. supermarkets, EV charge point operators, drive-thru operators), surveyors and government agencies – find their next property development opportunity. The tool aggregates data from over 1,000 sources using automated data processes and pipelines to build a centralised property database, which collates the most useful up-to-date data from trusted sources around into one platform.


In the past year, thousands of clients have used it to solve their property needs. Nimbus has been highly cash-generative, but up to now the company has reinvested in further development of the platform.

The Challenge

Nimbus has until now been funding the development of the Nimbus Maps platform from its own resources. However, it had reached a point where management recognised that further funding would help it grow faster on all fronts, from customer-centric product development, sales and marketing to AI based R&D.

The Solution

Simon Davis, co-founder of Nimbus with his brother Paul, says: “We were looking for funds to expand our product offering and invest in both sales and marketing and research and development. Our focus has shifted from SMEs to enterprise clients, and as a result we are adapting our platform, our tools, our support services, and our marketing.”

He adds: “We are a bootstrap business, not equity funded, so we have to prioritise where we deploy our resources. We wanted to make sure we had the funding to double down on growth for the business and our IP at the same time – it’s all happening concurrently!”

The company also wants the funds to give it the flexibility to build more tailored products for its growing market of enterprise clients. These clients include larger retailers such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer, developers and investors including CBRE, Aviva and Urban Splash, energy companies like BP, government agencies and banks – including NatWest Group. Simon observes: “NatWest even uses Nimbus Maps, through our partnership with Cushman & Wakefield, to help manage its own property portfolio.”

At this point, finance broker Raze Finance, which Nimbus was working with to assess funding opportunities available, brought the NatWest IP-backed loan to Simon’s attention.

The NatWest High Growth IP loan was launched in January 2024 in partnership with specialist IP valuers Inngot to help unlock the funding gap for high growth firms that lack traditional fixed assets to pledge as security. It allows IP-rich but tangible asset-poor companies to use the value of their intellectual property and intangibles as collateral for a loan. Loans start from as low as £250,000 against 50% of the value of the firm’s intellectual property - software, patents, copyrights, trademarks & registered designs – as determined by Inngot’s online tools and processes

Alex McIntosh, co-founder of Raze Finance, says: “Nimbus is a great business which would be substantially profitable if it hadn’t been re-investing  back into building its platform for future growth. The management team have done an exceptional job to date growing the business while bootstrapping the funding. This allows them to preserve their equity but still hit greater goals.”

He adds: “We sit on finance broker panels for a number of the banks, and because of that, we’d become aware of the NatWest IP-backed loan. The possibility of using the IP that Nimbus had built up in the platform as collateral for a bank loan looked like a good solution, so we flagged it to them, and supported them in the application process. The NatWest IP loan offered good cost control, no personal guarantees, and a continued relationship with their bank, NatWest.”

Simon Davis agrees. “Traditionally, banks have found it a challenge to lend to high-growth tech companies like us because we haven’t got tangible assets. The NatWest IP-backed proposition changes that. It’s a quality loan from a UK high street bank, and it validates the IP that we have built. Getting a loan like this from the UK’s biggest business bank sends a clear message that we are a high-quality business working with some of the biggest clients in the industry”

Nimbus is a leading growth company in the Professional & Business Services Sector, one of the eight growth-driving sectors that the UK government wants banks to support under its Industrial Strategy, published in June 2025.

These IS-8 sectors account for roughly 60% of all productivity growth from 1997-22, with investment into intangible assets a key feature of their success.

The Result

IP loan approved by NatWest

Nimbus used the IP it has developed in its proptech platform as collateral to borrow a substantial sum.

Traditionally, banks have found it a challenge to lend to high-growth tech companies like us because we haven’t got tangible assets. The NatWest IP-backed proposition changes that. It’s a quality loan from a UK high street bank, and it validates the IP that we have built. Getting a loan like this from the UK’s biggest business bank sends a clear message that we are a high-quality business working with some of the biggest clients in the industry

Simon Davis - Co-founder of Nimbus

We sit on finance broker panels for a number of the banks, and because of that, we’d become aware of the NatWest IP-backed loan. The possibility of using the IP that Nimbus had built up in the platform as collateral for a bank loan looked like a good solution, so we flagged it to them, and supported them in the application process. The NatWest IP loan offered good cost control, no personal guarantees, and a continued relationship with their bank, NatWest.

Alex McIntosh - Co-founder of Raze Finance

Supporting Nimbus with this IP loan has been a really rewarding experience. Their commitment to innovation and growth aligns perfectly with our mission to back businesses that are driving the UK economy forward with creative funding solutions that enable growth. Paul and Simon are brilliant at what they do, and we look forward to seeing what they go on to achieve.

Alyson Poulson - NatWest Commercial Bank Senior Relationship Manager, Coventry & Warwickshire

Nimbus’ use of the NatWest IP-backed loan is a key example of how NatWest is contributing to this strategy by helping IP-rich firms accelerate investment and expand internationally without diluting ownership.

Neil Bellamy - Head of Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT)