The human species has the most developed brain among all the living creatures of the world. And right from the time of birth, humans have used it to the optimum. We have made astonishing progress in the field of technology and medicine. But there is one area which does not need special expertise to ensure success. All one needs is nous. The field is that of business. Business acumen is something which comes naturally to most people around the world. However, having good business acumen alone does not guarantee you success. To start any new business and to keep any business growing, the most important factor is business finance. Without proper business financing, no company can hope to survive in the long run.
If you run your business in the Midlands area in London, you surely must thank god for this blessing. Keeping in mind the business finance needs of entrepreneurs and business owners in midlands, institutions such as Advantage West Midlands has come up with a regional finance forum and tied up with various lending institutions offering different finance solutions to businesses.
The various institutions that cater to the need of business finance in midlands, London are:
- Mercia Technology Seed Fund – This venture capital organisation meant for business finance in Midlands, London is for companies located in West Midlands which are dabbling in the technology sector. It is a £12.8 million fund with investments from both public and private sector. To avail this option of business finance in Midlands, London, you need to show a lot of enthusiasm for your patent or technology and must be able to back your enthusiasm with sound planning. Mercia Technology Seed Fund provides business finance in Midlands, London to companies which deal in technology in the sectors of healthcare, transport, environment, information technology and advanced materials.
- Creative Advantage Fund – If you are a business dealing in the creative sector like movies, animation etc. and are looking for business finance in Midlands, London, Creative Advantage Fund could be the thing for you. It is a venture capital fund established in the year 2000. It looks to invest in small and medium enterprises to the tune of 7500-15000 pounds.
- Midven – Midven is another venture capital company which could solve your problem of business finance in Midlands, London. Midevn is a funding company which is keen on investing in small and medium enterprises in any sector. All they need is an enthusiastic group of individuals who know where they are headed to. To start with, Midven can invest up to 50,000 pounds after careful scrutiny of your business model. The biggest advantage you get with this option of business finance in Midlands, London is the profitable exit scheme that this company has.
- Catapult – If you are looking for big money for your needs of business finance in Midlands, London, Catapult is where you should be headed to. Catapult is a specialised equity based funding which can invest anywhere in the range of 200,000 to 2 million pounds. The company has an impressive record of investing in 65 companies since its inception in 1999.
- Beer and Partners – Another choice you have when it comes to business finance in Midlands, London is Beer and Partners. The company is known for providing venture capital and angel funding to small and medium enterprises. The thriving success of the company has been due to its excellent contacts with high net worth investors and angel networks alike.
- Advantage Business Angels – As the name suggest, this is an angel network to help you solve your problem of business finance in Midlands, London. Like all other angel networks, it carries a tough scrutiny of your entire business plan. If your plan is approved by the board of investors, you could solve your financial worries in a jiffy.
- Beer and Young – This is an angel network which has been helping companies with business finance in Midlands, London since 1998. It has an impressive track record of providing financial help to new businesses; turn around businesses and also for providing private equity.
- Central England Business Angels – This is an innovative business angel networks with an aim to solve an entrepreneur’s problem of business finance in Midlands, London. Unlike most other business angel networks, there is no entry fee required to get financial help from this angel network. In addition to it, the professionals at the company see to it that every business gets the maximum amount of help as and when needed. The entrepreneurs are even taught the nuances of angel funding here to ensure a smooth funding process for all.
The above listed companies are some excellent funding options which dealt in equity finance only. However, if you are not comfortable with equity funding and are specifically looking for loans to set straight your business finance in Midlands, UK, the following could be what you are looking for.
- Fair Finance Consortium – Following the financial meltdown of 2008, it is not easy getting a loan from banks these days. This is where Fair Finance Consortium can help you with your business finance in Midlands, London. The company’s members are largely non profit organisations which provide funding to small and medium enterprises, start ups and social entrepreneurs. You can trust the expertise of the company to help you at every step of the loan acquisition process.
- A couple of other options worth looking at for your loan needs in Midlands, London are the Arrow fund and the Princes Trust. Both these institutions cater to small funding needs of SMEs.
All the above mentioned funding institutions are in a partnership with Advantage West Midlands to solve business’s needs of business finance in Midlands, London. However, all these institutions work independently and Advantage West Midlands has no role in the functioning of these organisations. In addition to partnering with these organisations, Advantage West Midlands also runs three grants on its own, namely – Grants for Research and Development, Grants for Business Investment and the Rural Development Programme for England.