Very few businesses are lucky enough to be able to bootstrap their way to success, most rely on securing business growth funding. Getting funding at the right time is critical to surviving yet alone thriving and growing. Without funding it is much harder and slower to grow and expand into new territories or markets. Here are my top four tips for successfully securing business growth funding. Know where to look and what type of funding is the best match There are numerous sources of funding from Bank Loans to Crowdfunding and Equity investment to Trade Finance, Grants and R&D Incentives for innovative companies. Often a growing business will need to draw on a mix of sources. Depending on the stage of growth and type of business some will be more suitable than others. Each type comes with its own positive and negative aspects for example if you’re seeking a bank loan, you will probably have to give a personal guarantee and of course pay back the loan with interest. If it’s equity … [Read more...]
Horizon 2020 – A business funding opportunity for new technology or science development
Horizon 2020 runs from 2014 to 2020 and has a budget of around €80 billion of funding available over the seven years it will run. It’s about bringing more ideas to market. It has three key pillars: Excellent Science Industrial leadership Societal Challenges Here is just a small flavour of UK companies and projects that have been successful in securing Horizon 2020 funding: The London branch of Canadian company Tellspec will receive EU funding for developing a food scanner: an affordable and non-invasive mobile food sensor that enables users to measure and analyse their food intake in real-time. The European Commission awarded a total of €1,000,000 (£852.800) to three innovative companies at the CeBIT 2017 tech conference. UK-based researchers are top of the league in the European Research Council's (ERC) latest round of mid-career consolidator grants. Fifty-eight researchers working in UK institutions will each receive up to €2 million (£1.7m) of … [Read more...]
What Are The Essential Elements Of A Good Funding Business Plan?
It is generally accepted that a business plan is essential for business owners who are seeking to raise money to help fund their businesses. However, a business plan written by the management team can easily fall into the trap of being inward focussed, i.e. centred around the management benefits of planning. To secure finance, you will need to have a business plan, which is specifically targeted to meet the individual requirements of your finance providers or your investors, and not your management team. How does a Funding Business Plan help? Whether debt or equity, a potential backer wants to see why you need finance, how you plan to use it, and what evidence you can provide to back up any claims. It helps convince lenders and investors, that the business owner has thought the strategy through. It also gives any actual investors a set of financial benchmarks for which the business owner and the management team can be held accountable. What should be … [Read more...]
