Yes. Negative EBITDA means the business’s operating costs exceeded its income before any deduction for interest, tax, depreciation or amortisation. Because those four items have already been excluded, it points to a problem in the core trading operation rather than in financing structure or accounting policy.
That makes it a more serious signal than a net loss on its own. A business can report a net loss purely because of a large depreciation charge or heavy interest costs while its underlying operation still generates a surplus. Negative EBITDA means the operation is not covering its own running costs.
Context still matters. Early-stage businesses, those investing heavily in growth ahead of revenue, and businesses hit by a specific one-off event may show negative EBITDA for a period without that reflecting the longer-term position. The questions to ask are how long it has been negative, what the trend is, and how the shortfall is being funded.
If you are seeking finance in this position, expect lenders to look closely at forecasts, cash runway and the reason for the shortfall. Some lenders on our panel consider businesses in an investment or recovery phase, but every case is assessed on its own merits and no outcome can be guaranteed.
This is general information rather than accounting advice — discuss your specific figures with your accountant.