Whether seeking capital or debt funding for business growth or acquisitions, our Partners provide guidance throughout the process of securing finance.
We maintain strong relationships with the most active capital and debt providers in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) market in the EU, UK and USA, providing our clients with introductions and hands-on support to financing that meets their strategic objectives. Either for our own companies or through registered broker-dealers, we have collectively raised billions of dollars across a range of securities:
- Privately placed senior secured and unsecured notes
- Preferred and common equity
- Project financing – senior debt
- A combination of one or more of the above
- With our extensive global network of investors, we can help our start-up, early-stage or mature businesses manage the fundraising task, from initial due diligence and negotiation of terms and covenants to coordination of legal documentation and closing.
Funding for early-stage businesses in the USA is typically obtained from private investors (direct or through crowdfunding), venture capital, institutional finance companies and/or through some government sources such as the Small Business Administration (SBA) or the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) of the U.S. Government.
Several states offer various investment incentives, as do some local government units. It’s fair to say that government investment incentives are available where a company can promise jobs for American citizens or residents. Other incentives may be available when setting up your business in a particular area targeted for development through the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act 2017, where under certain conditions investors can receive significant tax breaks for supporting projects in those areas. The USA is a huge country and other factors should be considered when choosing a location other than funding from government sources, such as availability of the workforce, transportation routes, access to markets and the like.
Funding opportunities in the European Union or United Kingdom are available, and some USA investors are interested in international opportunities.
European Union
- Direct funding
- The allocation of direct funding capital is managed by the European Institutions. There are two types of funding available: grants and contracts. You can apply for grants and contracts managed by the European Commission.
- Grants
- Grants are given to specific projects that relate to EU policies, usually following a public announcement known as a call for proposals. Businesses may apply for a grant if you run a business or a related organization (business associations, business support providers, consultants, etc.) that runs projects that further the interests of the EU, or if you contribute to the implementation of an EU program or policy.
- Indirect funding
- Indirect funding is managed by national and regional authorities and comprises nearly 80% of the EU budget, mainly through 5 big funds that come under the umbrella of the European Structural and Investment Funds. The funds are:
- European Regional Development Fund – regional and urban development
- European Social Fund – social inclusion and good governance
- Cohesion Fund – economic convergence by less-developed regions
- European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development
- European Maritime and Fisheries Fund
- Indirect funding is managed by national and regional authorities and comprises nearly 80% of the EU budget, mainly through 5 big funds that come under the umbrella of the European Structural and Investment Funds. The funds are:
JPF Ventures can help you navigate the rules to find out if your company’s proposal to establish your business in the EU or UK meets the conditions of raising funds and how to apply. There are also venture capital and seed capital funding opportunities for new companies starting up or companies expanding their business in the EU or UK.
United Kingdom
- Grants – Government Funding
- The U.K. offers a range of grants and funding opportunities that can help you fund your business. The number of grants and their suitability rules is something JPF Ventures can help you prepare for.
- R&D Tax Relief – Government Funding
- You may be qualified to claim a refund from Britain’s Tax Authority in the form of R&D tax relief. R&D tax incentives allow businesses to take authorized R&D expenses and the UK government will refund certain money spent on R&D.
- Crowdfunding – Equity and Debt
- Platforms like Fundopolis, Kickstarter and
IndieGoGo offer companies an opportunity to pitch their company to a multitude of investors. Crowdfunding offers the prospect of promoting your company to millions of potentially interested individuals.
- Platforms like Fundopolis, Kickstarter and
- Venture Capital – Equity Funding
- Venture Capital (VC’s) want to fund companies that have turned concepts into a real business, and require funding to grow. VC’s will likely require an equity stake diluting the ownership of founders. VC funds are sophisticated investors and are pitched every single day with different deals. An introduction to a VC is better than cold-calling which is where JPF Ventures comes in. We have relationships with many VC’s in the UK, EU and USA.