cat/small-ticket-equity
Last week there was hot debate following this article on PandoDaily which touched some nerves and started a significant tizzy about the 'classic' venture capital investment model versus the 'new' venture capital investment model. Descriptions of the two are: 'small number of grey-haireds in blue shirts and khakis' and 'platforms and systems of services from which to make and grow venture investments with a competive advantage', respectively.
As women entrepreneurs grow their enterprises, research has shown that they are less likely to seek and obtain equity investments, either from angel or venture capital investors. Some say women are less growth-oriented, some say their network ties don’t include the sources of referrals that are so important in this arena, and others point to a lack of interest or a bias in the equity capital community.
Founded in 1999 in Silicon Valley, Astia is an innovative global not-for-profit organization that propels women's full participation as entrepreneurs and leaders in high-growth businesses, fueling innovation and driving economic growth. Astia offers programs for high-growth women-led start-ups that deliver results. Astia focuses on:
Entrepreneurs need access to financial resources to fund their ventures, and those with marketable products may seek financing from venture capitalists (VCs). This study focuses on women entrepreneurs’ access to equity funding and the influence of social networks on venture capital investment decisions.
GBF invests in businesses with operations in emerging markets to drive economic development and improve local standards of living.
In addition to providing investment capital, GBF provides clients with best-in-class business advisory services so they receive the information and expertise needed to overcome challenges.
Lawrence Marsiello, Managing Director – Pine Brook and former Vice Chairman and Chief Lending Officer of the CIT Group discusses how banks can benefit from entering the equipment finance and leasing market, but acknowledging the uniqueness of the field is critical to success.
For SMEs, obtaining and securing the right source of finance can present a major challenge. Lack of available funding for SMEs has been brought into sharper focus post-credit crunch. Many growth businesses are started by entrepreneurs, often with little experience of how to raise finance to fund this growth.
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) will drive the recovery in Europe, but they need improved and easy access to finance. Over the last few years the European Commission has been constantly working to improve their situation. This commitment is reiterated in a joint European Commission/European Investment Bank (EIB) Group report published today. At a time when the situation remains difficult, the EIB Group's support for SMEs reached €13 billion in 2012.
This analysis provides an overview of the main markets relevant to EIF. We start by discussing the general market environment, then look at the main aspects of equity finance and the SME Securitisation market. Finally, we briefly highlight important aspects of microfinance in Europe.
The large and growing pipeline of women entrepreneurs building scalable businesses is the untapped market that we at the Women’s Venture Capital Fund believe to be venture-worthy.
