Growth financing

It is a good idea to plan the financing of your growth plans well in advance. A fast take-off requires resources, and even at a slower pace, growth is still not free. Growth funding needs to be planned so that the company’s growth and development stays under control. Oftentimes, external financing is needed in addition to the company’s own funds. It is possible to apply for public growth and internationalization funding. Public operators provide loans, subsidies and investments, but to get these you do need some internal financing as well. In general, the business must be aiming for significant growth to be eligible for these types of funding.

There is no perfect solution – a financing package typically consists of funds provided by more than one operator. We will help you evaluate your business’ financing needs as well as your chances of receiving financing and subsidies. We will also help you prepare financing applications and obtain the necessary attachments (including financial statements, profit forecasting and business plan clarifications).

Think about your funding needs:

• What do you need money for: day-to-day operations (working capital) or to buy something (investments)?
• How much money do you need, and when?
• What will you use as collateral?
• Where are you going to get the money?

Below are some examples of growth financing channels:

• Own funds / cash flow financing
• Banks / financing companies (start negotiating with the bank early on and prepare well)
• Finnvera (state-owned investor, Keuke will help you apply for funding)
• Business Finland (Keuke will help you apply for funding)
• The ELY Centre (check the status of financing programs and grants from Keuke before starting)
• You can also get growth financing for your business from venture capitalists or business angels. Business angels are private venture capitalists and co-entrepreneurs who mainly invest in growth companies. www.fiban.org »
• Crowdfunding is a rapidly growing way to fund new businesses or products. Crowdfunding works best for services and products that already have a committed user or fan base. In a crowdfunding situation, individual investments can be very small (a few euros), but they are collected from large masses. www.invesdor.com »