AI, ML and data engineering staffing factoring

One placement can mean six figures of payroll before you ever get paid.

AI architects, MLOps engineers and data engineers can bill $120 or more an hour, while you cover payroll every week and the client pays on net 60 terms. Turn approved timecards and SOW milestones into cash in as little as 24 hours. The company that owes you money gets the credit check. Not you.

Free to applyNo credit impact to startEnglish and Spanish support

Invoice #10482

$100,000 · NET 45

Funded

In your account tomorrow

$90,000

90% of your invoice, wired on day 1

The balance follows when your customer pays, less the fee.

Tomorrow
$90,000
Day 45
$100,000, if you wait it out
DAY 1Cash wired
DAY 45Balance released
Estimate your own invoice ↓ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE

The problem

The gap is biggest where the rates are highest.

One AI or data engineering placement can mean $150,000 or more in payroll before the client's first invoice clears on net 60 terms. The better the rate you negotiate, the bigger the cash gap gets.

What you'll need

Four documents, nothing more.

  • A short factoring application
  • Your current A/R aging report
  • Your top 5 clients, legal name and address
  • One to three invoices with timecards, work tickets or SOW sign off
Start your application

Why it funds well

Built for how AI and data teams get staffed.

  • Covers the roles clients are desperate for. AI architects, MLOps engineers, generative AI engineers and data governance specialists all qualify.
  • Sized for small firms. Built for shops where one owner makes every decision, not a procurement committee.
  • Timed for the moment it matters. Made for the exact point where a large placement outruns your cash on hand.
  • Funding before you even invoice. Some programs fund against approved timecards before the invoice is issued.
  • Protection if you want it. Some funding partners offer a program where you are covered if your customer never pays.

How it can play out

A hypothetical example.

A four person AI staffing firm places two MLOps engineers with a retailer building a recommendation engine. The contract bills $135 an hour per engineer, and the contractors get paid weekly. The client pays on net 60 terms, so the first invoice does not clear for two months. Factoring the first invoice covers six payroll runs before the client ever pays.

Illustrative example. Actual terms depend on your file and your funding partner.

What you get

Built to match how you invoice.

Payroll matched to billing

Fund approved invoices as you bill, so payroll isn't waiting on an accounts payable department.

Funding that grows with you

Available funding rises with your client roster and billing, with no fixed line to renegotiate.

Client credit checks

Know a client's payment reputation before you staff the project.

Keep your equity

No investors, no bank covenants, no dilution.

Selective factoring

Many programs let you factor some clients and not others.

Built for deliverable work

Signed timecards, closed work tickets and SOW sign offs are exactly what funding partners want to see.

The payroll math

One placement, eight weeks of payroll.

You staff the engagement the week the contract is signed. Engineers get paid every Friday. The client's first invoice clears two months later on net 60 terms. One large placement is enough to drain the account before growth pays for itself.

  • Fund as you bill, so payroll stops depending on someone else's AP calendar.
  • Take the placement you'd otherwise pass on because the cash wasn't there.
  • No dilution, no covenants: you keep the company.
Week 1Engineers start. You pay wages out of pocket.
Week 4You invoice the client. Terms are net 60.
Week 12Client pays, after you've covered 8+ payroll runs.

AI, ML and data engineering staffing factoring

See what your invoice is worth today

Two questions. No sign up, no credit check, no phone call required.

1 Your invoice

How much is the invoice?

$
$1,000$250,000

When does your customer usually pay?

2 Your estimate

In your account tomorrow

…

…

Advance85% to 95% of the invoice…
Funding partner's fee……
You keep in total…
Commercial credit funding. Approval is typically based on your customers’ credit, not a personal guarantee from you.
How and when the money reaches you
Day 1
…
The advance, wired to your business account
Day 60
Balance released
Whatever is left after the fee, once your customer pays
Get my real numbers · Free

Estimate only. Your funding partner sets the actual advance, fee and timeline based on your industry, your customers' credit and your file.

FAQ

Questions AI and data staffing founders ask us

We are a very new company. Can we still qualify?

Often yes. Many AI and data engineering staffing firms are only a few months old the first time they factor. Funding partners look mainly at the client you are invoicing, not how long you have been in business.

Can you fund against timecards before I send the invoice?

Some funding partners offer funding against approved timecards before the invoice is generated. Ask about this when you apply, since not every program includes it.

Can I factor just one client?

Yes, many programs let you factor a single large placement rather than your whole book of business.

What does it cost?

Staffing factoring fees typically start around two to three percent for the first 30 days, with a smaller amount added for each additional 30 days the invoice stays open. Nordthane charges you nothing.

See all questions

Ready to get paid?

Sell your invoices with Nordthane Capital, your factoring partner. Free to apply, no obligation.

Apply Now · Free