Joint credit is a credit facility between two or more people. In a startup, that might be the co-founders. Financial institutions issue joint credit, based on both parties’ income, assets, and credit scores. Each borrower has a shared responsibility to repay the debt. And if payments are missed—or if there is a default—then both borrowers’ credit scores will be affected. Joint credit is often used when one founder or business partner has a stronger credit score than the other.