Uber and Pipe team up to offer capital to small restaurants

Fintech company Pipe is teaming up with Uber Eats in a new initiative designed to make it easier for small restaurants to secure capital. The partnership will embed Pipe’s financing technology directly into the Uber Eats Manager app, giving thousands of U.S. restaurants access to customized, pre-approved funding offers.

The rollout begins this week, according to Pipe, and marks a step forward in reducing long-standing barriers to small business lending.

Embedded Capital Access

The Uber Eats Manager app serves as a central hub for restaurants to oversee orders, analytics, and operations. With Pipe’s integration, restaurant owners can now explore funding opportunities without leaving the app. Offers are tailored to each business based on revenue and cash flow, rather than credit scores or traditional banking requirements.

“We want to help these small businesses succeed by making access to capital seamless and embedded,” said Pipe CEO Luke Voiles. “Customers don’t even realize somebody else is involved.”

Unlike banks, Pipe does not require credit checks, FICO scores, or personal guarantees. Instead, the fintech uses AI-driven analysis of six months of anonymous transaction data — shared via Uber — to determine capital amounts.

Fast, Flexible, and Inclusive

Voiles emphasized that speed and inclusivity are central to the process. According to the company, 98% of applications are approved, with funds often arriving in business accounts within 24 hours. For restaurants facing fluctuating revenue, Pipe offers flexible repayment structures that adjust to income rather than fixed monthly installments.

“This is a way to help a restaurant owner, maybe an immigrant with no FICO score, access capital for the first time, open a second location, and double their business,” Voiles noted.

Pipe also claims businesses using its platform have grown an average of 12% month over month.

Why Uber Chose Pipe

For Uber, the move reinforces its ongoing efforts to support its restaurant partners.

“Uber is focused on helping restaurant partners be successful on Uber Eats,” said Karl Hebert, Uber’s VP of global commerce and financial services. “This partnership meets restaurant partners where they are, and we’re eager to see how it’s received.”

Pipe, currently valued at $2 billion, was chosen specifically for its streamlined process tailored to small businesses, according to Uber.

Building on Past Efforts

This isn’t Uber’s first initiative aimed at boosting restaurant resilience. In 2022, the company partnered with Visa to provide $1 million in grants to small restaurants impacted by the pandemic, natural disasters, and other unexpected hardships.

By embedding financing directly into the Uber Eats ecosystem, this new collaboration could mark a more lasting shift in how restaurants access and manage capital.