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FOR VENTURE INVESTORS, the credit crunch is providing an unexpected uptick in business opportunities for some portfolio companies, such as providers of consumer loans and data-management services.

One example is Prosper Inc., a San Francisco company that enables individuals to make loans to each other. Prosper, whose backers include Accel Partners, Benchmark Partners and Fidelity Ventures, has seen a surge in well-qualified borrowers turning to it for financing after being frozen out of traditional credit markets. It has also seen more people willing to lend money through its network, seeking higher rates than they can earn on bank deposits. In February, prime loans hit a record, accounting for 43% of Prosper's originations. A year earlier, that rate was 25%, with the balance rated near- or sub-prime.

"We think it's a large-term huge opportunity, helping to introduce mainstream borrowers and lenders to person-to-person (lending) much sooner than if there wasn't a credit crunch," said Chris Larsen, Prosper's co-founder and chief executive.

Similarly, MRU Holdings Inc., a Battery Ventures-backed company that operates a student-loan service called MyRichUncle, has found itself one of the few lenders still active in the space.

Battery General Partner Michael Brown said the publicly traded, New York company has been able to maintain its access to capital because of the success of its lending model and is increasing its loan originations at a rate of 100% to 150% annually. MRU markets to students via direct mail, radio and the Internet instead of through college financial-aid offices. It doesn't require parents to co-sign loans and in addition to the usual credit information, scores loan candidates based on factors such as the colleges they are attending, their grade-point averages, test scores and work histories.

Venture-backed companies selling technology to the financial services industry say they are seeing some buying caution, but also more interest in products that cut costs or improve management. "It's certainly given us more conversations," Freeborders Inc. CEO Jean Cholka said of the credit crunch. The San Francisco company, whose backers include FTVentures, provides outsourced technology services to banks, leveraging its operations in China.

Rick Enfield, business-product owner at Fidelity Ventures-backed Asset Control, which sells data-management technology, said that while sales cycles are stretching a bit, "We haven't seen our prospect pipeline crashing because of this; if anything it's growing." He also said the expanding company, which is based in the Netherlands and has operations in New York and London, is seeing a jump in the quality of job applicants because of employment uncertainty on Wall Street.

Richard Garman, managing partner at FTVentures, a financial services specialist that recently closed a $512 million third fund, said its long-term investment themes such as outsourcing will benefit from the credit crunch. "Anytime you have these dramatic changes in an industry, it creates opportunity," he said.

Write to Russell Garland at russell.garland@dowjones.com.