Venture capital investments are made by Finnvera's subsidiary Veraventure.

Equity

Sufficient equity helps ensure successful business and gives the company financial leeway at the outset of operations. Before there are any sales revenues, a starting enterprise can use its equity to finance investments and day-to-day operations.

Finnvera’s Entrepreneur Loan can supplement the enterprise’s equity if there are not sufficient funds for use as share capital or as a contribution to the partnership capital, or if there is not sufficient collateral for obtaining such funds.

Finnvera’s venture capital investments are managed by Finnvera’s subsidiary, Veraventure Ltd.

Working as a fund supplementing the venture capital investment market, Veraventure helps to find financing options for starting enterprises and develops regional investment operations.

Veraventure makes direct investments through Seed Fund Vera, a fund under its management. Investments are made in early-stage technology enterprises and in technology-intensive or innovative service enterprises having the potential to develop into international growth companies.

In addition to investments, Veraventure manages a business angel network known as SijoittajaExtra.

Additional information: www.veraventure.fi

Information about equity funding is available at the Finnish Venture Capital Association

Products

Entrepreneur Loan

Online Services

Finnvera's customers can submit applications for business financing safely and securely by using Finnvera plc's Online Services.

Telephone service

020 690 784

For Business Angels

Entrepreneur Loan

An Entrepreneur Loan can be used to finance investments in the share capital of a limited company and/or in the fund of invested unrestricted shareholder’s equity, or to finance investments in a partnership or a limited partnership. An Entrepreneur Loan can also be used to finance purchases of shares of a limited company or to purchase partnership interest in an existing enterprise.

The target enterprise may operate in any sector except farming, forestry or building developer’s business. The enterprise must meet the criteria set by the EU for SMEs and it must have the prerequisites for profitable business.

An Entrepreneur Loan can be granted to a shareholder of a limited company whose holding of the share capital and votes will be at least 20 per cent after completion of the investment or the transaction financed by means of the loan. In addition, Entrepreneur Loans can be granted to partners in a general partnership or to general partners in a limited partnership. The borrower must participate in the company’s operations full-time.

The Entrepreneur Loan is a personal loan to an entrepreneur. The loan can also be granted to several founders or shareholders in the same enterprise. The maximum loan per borrower is 100,000 euros. The borrower must personally put up a self-financing portion of at least 20 per cent.

In 2007–2013 interest support for the loan may be obtainable from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), provided that the enterprise and the project are located in the EU objective regions, as defined in EU regional policy, and meet the eligibility criteria for assistance.

Attachments
Online Application (open a new web browser)
Application (PDF)

Entrepreneur Loan applicant's details, assets and debts (PDF) , (Word)
Brochure (PDF)