An increasing number of entrepreneurs have been turning to the internet to research financing opportunities and are finding peer-to-peer lending websites are just the thing to help them get off the ground.

Michael DeFabior told Entrepreneur.com that he and his wife initially ran into numerous problems getting loans to start their holistic healthcare firm.

They finally discovered a website that was dedicated to peer-to-peer lending, in which borrowers and lenders seek each other out and a low interest rate is negotiated. The idea of such sites is to remove the middleman from the process of borrowing money.

Through one such site, Mr DeFabior found the financing he needed to develop his product within weeks of posting his proposition.

In addition to help helping firms get off the ground, Entrepreneur.com suggests that existing companies may be able to grow further with the loans they receive.

It describes the situation of a Los Angeles staffing agency that recently found the economic situation - including the Writer's Guild strike and the credit crunch - meant that it was struggling to raise capital.

A loan obtained from a peer-to-peer lending site resulted in cash that helped the owner make needed updates to the firm's website.

Although the opportunities presented by social lending websites may be numerous, entrepreneurs should always make sure they exercise caution and do research on their lender before agreeing to any deals.