Daily News
North East Access to Finance launches Phase 2 of Website
North East Access to Finance (NEA2F) has identified a segment of the growing SME population in the North East that would welcome a less formal first step in the process of seeking external commercial investment. These, typically young, high growth businesses are keen to get access to a broad range of professional financial investors; be they fund managers, business angels or others. Through the addition of a simple elevator style pitching facility; NEA2F has enabled users to upload a video pitch to attract the interest of potential financial investors. Businesses have 90 seconds, (the length of an average ride in an elevator), to concisely pitch their business plan and state the amount of funding they are seeking.
Hugh Morgan Williams, Chair of North East Access to Finance says:
“We have close relationships with a broad range of financial investors across the North East region and beyond. All of the VC fund managers and business angel groupings can be found on our site and are a part of a process expected to grow that investor community even further. We are hoping businesses will adopt a “Dragons Den” style to their pitches”
Users of the website are also able to access the following features:
· Find Finance –aims to make it easier for business owners and finance directors to choose the right funding, by providing information on the comprehensive range of support on offer for businesses and start ups in the North East.
· Business Support – allows users to find current ‘access to finance’ support in the North East, through a list of subsidised products which are part of ‘Solutions for Business’, the government’s package of publicly funded business support, giving access to leading experts at affordable fees.
· Events Calendar – provides a comprehensive and relevant listing of upcoming business events in the North East. Events which occur in the next 2-3 days are prominently featured on the home page; in addition users are able to search the entire calendar to find the events relevant to them.
· Business Angels – lists the main Business Angel Networks; all of whom are members of the British Business Angels Association (www.bbaa.org.uk) have signed up to its code of conduct. They are all based in the UK and match investors with Businesses from across the UK.
· Finance Updates – highlights good news stories celebrating local business and entrepreneurship along with items of local and regional news that are relevant to users of the website.