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Improving Access to Early Stage Venture Capital in Regional Economies: A New Approach to Investment Readiness

Author

Listed:
  • Colin M. Mason

    (Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK)

  • Richard T. Harrison

    (Centre for Entrepreneurship Research, Edinburgh University Management School, Edinburgh, UK)

Abstract

It is now recognised that many businesses are unsuccessful in raising equity finance because they are not investment ready. This has prompted enterprise support organisations in various countries to develop investment ready programmes. In the UK, the emphasis of these programmes is on providing information on sources of finance and how to access them, and on presentational skills. These are necessary but not sufficient conditions to get a business investment ready because they do not address business development issues which discourage potential investors. These issues are generally company specific and often require the input of significant expertise in order to make a company investable. This paper reviews LINC Scotland's approach, which is based on investment facilitation. It suggests that this approach does effectively address the business development support component of investment readiness at limited public cost and provides useful lessons for the design of investment ready programmes.

Suggested Citation

  • Colin M. Mason & Richard T. Harrison, 2004. "Improving Access to Early Stage Venture Capital in Regional Economies: A New Approach to Investment Readiness," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 19(2), pages 159-173, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:loceco:v:19:y:2004:i:2:p:159-173
    DOI: 10.1080/0269094042000203090
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Colin Mason & Richard Harrison, 2003. "Closing the Regional Equity Gap? A Critique of the Department of Trade and Industry's Regional Venture Capital Funds Initiative," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(8), pages 855-868.
    2. Binks, Martin R & Ennew, Christine T, 1996. "Growing Firms and the Credit Constraint," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 17-25, February.
    3. Freear, John & Wetzel, William Jr., 1990. "Who bankrolls high-tech entrepreneurs?," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 77-89, March.
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    5. Myers, Stewart C, 1984. "The Capital Structure Puzzle," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 39(3), pages 575-592, July.
    6. Stuart Paul & Geoff Whittam & Jim B Johnston, 2003. "The operation of the informal venture capital market in Scotland," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(4), pages 313-335, August.
    7. Evan J. Douglas & Dean Shepherd, 2002. "Exploring investor readiness: Assessments by entrepreneurs and investors in Australia," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(3), pages 219-236, July.
    8. Richard T. Harrison & Colin M. Mason, 2000. "Venture capital market complementarities: The links between business angels and venture capital funds in the United Kingdom," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(3), pages 223-242, July.
    9. Feldman, Maryann P, 2001. "The Entrepreneurial Event Revisited: Firm Formation in a Regional Context," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 10(4), pages 861-891, December.
    10. Cressy, Robert & Olofsson, Christer, 1997. "The Financial Conditions for Swedish SMEs: Survey and Research Agenda," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 179-194, April.
    11. Gordon Murray, 1999. "Early-stage venture capital funds, scale economies and public support," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(4), pages 351-384, October.
    12. Colin Mason & Richard Harrison, 2001. "'Investment Readiness': A Critique of Government Proposals to Increase the Demand for Venture Capital," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(7), pages 663-668.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Michael Marcin Kunz & Ulrich Bretschneider & Max Erler & Jan Marco Leimeister, 2017. "An empirical investigation of signaling in reward-based crowdfunding," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 425-461, September.

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