PKF Francis Clark’s Finance in the South event takes place on 24 April 2018 at the AFC Bournemouth, Vitality Stadium.
The morning seminar is very timely given the recent research by Liberis which saw 62 percent of UK SMEs saying they needed funding to grow and expand, but with 57 percent of SMEs being unsure which provider to obtain funding from.
The Finance in the South seminar will bring together providers of business funding, including both debt and equity; business support agencies including grant specialists; our own corporate finance experts and business owners themselves to provide short, sharp presentations in order to assist business owners and managers in assessing which funding stream is right for them.
2017 saw an increase in equity funding to SMEs and the event features a number of presenters on this type of finance including private equity firm Altitude Partners and business angels experts Focused for Business; equity crowdfunding will also be covered by the platform provider Syndicate Room and support agency IdeaSquares.
Alternative Lenders are well represented with locally based lender SWIG Finance and the inclusion of peer to peer lender ThinCats, as well as challenger bank MetroBank and start-up/growth capital providers Outset Finance. Capitalise, a platform providing access to over 100 alternative lenders, will also be in attendance. Finally, the mainstream banks will be represented by HSBC, who will advise on how to get the most from your banking relationship.
In addition to funders, Dorset Growth Hub and Innovate UK will explain the wide range of business support that is available to SMEs, including grant funding, and a guest case-study will talk through how the use of different funding options allowed them to drive growth from start-up to successful business.
PKF Francis Clark’s Chris Potts, part of the team organising the event said: “A core part of my remit is to assist our clients in raising funds. Purposes include growth and working capital, secured lending for capital projects, acquisition of other businesses, owners seeking to cash-out or de-risk, and management teams wanting to execute a buy-out.
“We all-too-regularly see businesses which have been unable to secure the funding they require or are using inappropriate (and therefore invariably expensive) methods of funding, often because they were not fully aware either of the range of options and support available
“We are delighted to have representatives both from across the spectrum of funders and from local business support agencies speaking at this event, which will provide vital information to decision-makers on sourcing the right funding for their SME businesses.”
Oliver Hammond from SyndicateRoom the online equity investment platform said: “As part of my role at SyndicateRoom, I get the benefit of speaking to hundreds of early-stage companies. What is clear is that there is a lot of asymmetric information between businesses and investors. It’s really important that funders like us are having conversations and making ourselves available to companies who are looking to access investment. The more transparent we are, the more likely we all are to succeed as a result.”
Michael Cass from Capitalise added: “There are over 360 lenders focused entirely on SME lending, and the options for businesses are endless. We will be talking to delegates about how they can get the best possible result for their business.”
Kirsty Ranger from support agency IdeaSquares said: “It’s essential that companies understand the specifics of the funding options available to them and this event is an excellent way to become well informed. Crowdfunding is a unique and exciting method of both fundraising and promoting your business that requires careful consideration. We’re keen to dispel myths and increase understanding of when is the right time to choose this method of fundraising and how to maximise the benefits of a public crowdfunding campaign.”
Bookings for the free event can be made via the PKF Francis Clark website www.francisclark.co.uk/news-views/events/finance-in-the-south-2018-bournemouth