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Quick Reference Guide

Finance Yorkshire is the new £90million fund set up to provide businesses across the Yorkshire and Humber region with funding to start and grow.

Planned to start investing in early Spring, the Fund will provide seedcorn, loan and equity investments ranging from £15,000 and £2million, to help small and medium businesses (SME's*) raise the funding they need alongside investment from the commercial market.

For the first time Finance Yorkshire provides region wide access to finance for all qualifying businesses. Through working with financial intermediaries, other lenders and investors Finance Yorkshire will make deals happen.

The Fund has been created using investment from Yorkshire Forward, ERDF from the European Union and the European Investment Bank and can back eligible businesses through critical stages of growth from start-up through to major expansion.

Our investment packages are suitable for most business sectors, the main exceptions are retail businesses, primary industries such as agriculture and some property development. Please see below for additional exceptions **

A simple application process

  • Check your eligibility (choose the funding you wish to apply for and then apply online). If in doubt, call us.
  • When we have received your online application one of our Investment Managers will contact you to discuss your project
  • When ready to submit a formal application, download a detailed application form

We could help if you are:

  • An SME* paying business rates in Yorkshire and the Humber or relocating to the region
  • A new start-up or growing business
  • A business with growth potential
  • A business unable to source its full funding requirement from the commercial market

Types of deals:

  • Capital expenditure
  • Working capital
  • Start-ups
  • Expansions

What information we need:

  • Completed application form (downloads)
  • Statement of personal assets/liabilities
  • Business plan
  • If an existing business, last 3 years accounts
  • If an existing business, up to date management accounts
  • Current order book
  • 3 year forecasts - profit and loss, balance sheet, and cashflow
Seedcorn Finance Up to £780k
  • New and early stage technology and knowledge-based businesses
  • Clients likely to be pre-revenue and high risk but have potential for high growth and for good return realisation
  • Equity-based investments usually made in tranches as the business develops and grows
  • Specialist support given to growing businesses in return for a share of the eventual returns
Business Loans £15k to £150k
  • Typically unsecured loans of between £15,000 and £150,000 for established businesses
  • Typically unsecured loans between £15,000 and £50,000 for start up and early stage businesses
  • Investments may include capital expenditure and cashflow finance
  • Interest rate rebates available to established businesses (subject to conditions)
Equity Linked Finance £100k to £2m
  • Equity-based investments from £100k to £2m
  • Mezzanine loans (with equity options or redemption premium) from £100k to £1m
  • Joint equity linked packages up to £2m
  • All types of investment considered including growth, capital expenditure and some larger start-up businesses

*A Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) is a business employing less than 250 employees, with an annual turnover of less than 50m Euros or balance sheet net assets of less than 43m Euros. The business cannot be part of a larger group employing more then 250 employees where the group owns at least a 25% share of the business.

**Additional exceptions Finance Yorkshire cannot invest in the following: re-financing existing commercial borrowings, failing businesses, expansion finance in medium sized businesses (50 – 250 employees) in non assisted areas (We are working to reverse this last exclusion but this may take up to six months. If this exclusion is likely to affect you, please talk to us).