Sources of finance

Critical to the success of any start-up or expanding business is to get the right funding at each stage of a company's development. For start-up or early stage companies, capital is available from a wide variety of sources, including bank and non-bank finance, venture capital, business angel finance and grants.

Examples include:

The FSE Accelerator Fund: a £10 million loan fund which supports small and medium sized companies in the South East with the potential for significant growth, focusing on early stage or established companies. The Accelerator Fund can lend from £25,000 to £100,000. An additional £100,000 can be made available after a period of 9 months.

Grant for Research and Development, is a SEEDA-administered grant scheme which aims to help start-ups and SMEs carry out research and development work on technologically innovative products and processes.

Selective Finance for Investment in England: a DTI National Business Support product which is managed by SEEDA in the South East designed for businesses that are looking at the possibility of investing in an area of high deprivation but need financial help to go ahead.

South East Growth Fund: commercial DTI-backed venture capital provider that provides equity finance to companies based in the South East of England with potential for fast growth. The amounts available for investment range from £100,000 to £500,000 and the portfolio will be available to start ups, early stage, development and small MBO’s and MBI’s.

The UK Biotechnology Finance Advisory Service is a new initiative by the Department of Trade and Industry sponsoring independent financial advisers to assist individuals and biotechnology companies to access capital.