Currently in the UK, there is no single place businesses can go to become informed about the vast array of funding options that are available to them. Informed Funding, the new UK based information platform that has been developed by Knowledge Peers, recognised this gap, and is now aiming to fill it.

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In order to understand why it is so important to have an information resource such as Informed Funding, we must take a look at the facts, which go to show just how important Informed Funding can prove to be for growing businesses looking for finance.

4.9 million SMEs in the UK

There are now 4.9 million growing businesses in the UK, and an estimated 1million of them are looking for funding options. The majority of these businesses will not have a clear picture of the market that is currently controlled by high street banks.

Informed Funding aims to give these businesses the information they require to make an informed decision on what type of finance is best for their businesses. With so many options out there, it is important for a business to choose the correct one. Once this decision has been made, Informed Funding will then go on to connect these businesses with the funding options they require.

£667m total funding given to SMEs (Nov 2013 – Apr 2014)

A total of £667million of funding went to SMEs and growing businesses in the period from November 2013 to April 2014. What is even more staggering is that this figure is up by 83% on the previous six months.

This goes to show just how many growing businesses are being funded and require funding. However, many of these businesses will have chosen a type of finance that was not right for them, or they chose while being unaware of how many other options were available to their business.

87% of SMEs said they were not advised fully

87% of SMEs have said that they were not informed of certain types of funding, including crowd funding or P2P lending options, by financial advisors. Informed Funding aims to change this, ensuring that businesses are aware of the alternative sources of finance. Once businesses are more aware of the opportunities, they can have a more in-depth discussion with financial advisors about their options.

70% of SMEs did not believe their bank to be capable of advising on suitable funding

When asked whether or not SMEs believed that their bank was capable of advising them on the suitable funding options for their businesses, 70% said no. In addition, only 5% of SMEs went to local government support agencies for advice.

Banks are likely to have their best interests at heart, so they are unlikely to give businesses the full picture about the finance options that are available. Informed Funding will offer impartial advice to any business that seeks information.

As we can see from the statistics, there is a huge demand from growing businesses but not enough information out there to help. Informed Funding aims to assist businesses in making these big decisions, while connecting businesses to the many sources of finance available.

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The Informed Funding launch event is being held on February the 26th at the Metal Box Factory on Bankside. To discover how Informed Funding can help connect your business to finance, you can view the schedule for this exciting event by going to our events page. Please also ensure you secure your place by registering .