Seminars aim to improve access to finance for SMEs

Enterprise Europe Network in association with Galway Chamber will host a series of seminars as part of Chamber Week 2014 – from September 15 to 19 – aimed at unravelling the complexity of access to finance for small businesses.

The seminars will give a clear and basic outline of the availability of different types of SME finance, how to access it and the criteria involved. The seminars will cover crowdfunding, bank financing and state agency funding.

Seminar One – Crowdfunding and Business Angels – is on September16. Crowdfunding is new to many but has already delivered significant finance for small and medium sized businesses. This aims to show how it actually works, who it can benefit and what results can be expected.

Presentations are from Marc Rafferty of Linked Finance and Gerry Mackey of Halo Business Angel Partnership, with local case examples.

Seminar Two – Financing from your Bank – is on October 14. For most businesses, different stages of their business life cycle present different financing challenges. This seminar looks at what businesses can expect at different stages of the business cycle and how financing from the bank plays an important role.

And Grant and State Agency Funding – the final seminar in this three-part series – on November 11, focuses on the role of state agencies and government bodies in supporting SMEs, with presentations from Barry Egan, Enterprise Ireland; Breda Fox, Local Enterprise Office; Jim Keogh, Údarás na Gaeltachta; and Lorna Coleman, MicroFinance Ireland, with local case examples.

All seminars will take place in Galway Chamber, Commerce House, Merchant’s Road, Galway commencing at 9.30am until 11am. Attendance to the event is free and welcomes both members and non-members of Galway Chamber.

Bookings in advance to Mairead at eengalway@galwaychamber.com or Tel. 091-563536