Video: Should I start my own business?

The panel discuss what it takes to get your new enterprise off the ground and what funding options are available.

The above video was produced in partnership with Young Company Finance who are hosting their annual conference titled Getting to Equity.

Each year YCF’s annual conference takes a broad theme that gives a variety of speakers the opportunity to set out their own knowledge or experience in different ways. We have talks by industry professionals –investors, analysts,

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 business advisers – interspersed with presentations by entrepreneurs from early stage high growth companies. Equity investment is not the best sort of funding for every company. However, for those which will need early stage equity to help grow their business – maybe to prove a concept, build a prototype, or carry out trials – there can be a ‘catch-22’ to securing the first round of investment; equity investors often look for a level of product development or market traction which require funding to demonstrate. This year’s conference will examine this conundrum, with speakers from organisations which provide funding by way of competitions and grants, from equity investors who understand the problem and can describe what they expect from applicants for finance, and from some young company entrepreneurs who have made their way through this difficulty  in one way or another.  Industry speakers Chair: Evelyn McDonald, CEO, Scottish EDGE John Mathers, CEO, Design Council Camille Moran, EU funding, Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Isobel Brown, Head of Commercial Development Scotland, StartUp Loan Company Mette Kirstine Agger, Managing Partner, Lundbeckfond Ventures  Entrepreneur presenters David Bunton, Biopta Trace Ward, Ergon Equine Ed Molyneux, FreeAgent Brian Butchart, Sirakoss  The conference will include four sessions, starting with registration at 9am and closing at approximately 4:30pm, with plenty of networking time at the breaks. If you are not a YCF subscriber but are thinking for coming to the conference, please contact [email protected] for further details.