Finance Yorkshire looks to a future of investment

Finance Yorkshire has briefed more than one thousand business leaders and financial intermediaries across the region on how they can access the new £90m venture capital and loan fund.

Successful launches were held in front of 1,100 people in Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, York, Scarborough and Skipton throughout March.

The team including Yorkshire Forward delegates, Finance Yorkshire fund managers and board members who toured the region have received a host of positive feedback from intermediaries, such as corporate financiers, advisers, accountants and solicitors.

The Fund is planning to start investing in April 2010 and will provide seedcorn, loan and equity linked investments, ranging from £15,000 to £2m to help small and medium businesses meet the gaps in funding they need for growth and development.

Jonathan Dixon, acting chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, said: “The events have provided great opportunities to have dialogue with financial intermediaries and local business leaders.

“Having face to face contact with the people we will work with over the next few years means we are already building knowledge of business trends in the area and of the SMEs we can invest in.

“This will make for a smoother and quicker process for all involved. We now look forward to immersing our time into investing our money in the region’s promising businesses.”

The project is supported financially by the European Union. It has attracted £30million investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of Europe’s support for the region’s economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme.

For more information about Finance Yorkshire, please visit www.finance-yorkshire.com or ring 0845 649 0000.

Note: this news article is from Finance Yorkshire’s previous fund. Read more about Finance Yorkshire