Funding the future

The Rise of  Alternative

Funding

The

Brief

Barclays Bank commissioned a report on the rise of new forms of financing startups. S4S’s research team undertook the research and writing of the report. The goal of this report was to look at the rise of alternative finance providers through the lens of young company finance and to explore the potential impact on the funding of new or fast growing young companies, the incumbent players and the greater UK economy.

The

activities

The White Paper looked at four types of alternative finance: reward based crowdfunding, equity crowdfunding, P2P lending (to consumers and to businesses) and invoice discounting. The conclusions that were drawn, and futures envisioned, differed depending on the type of crowdfunding examined.

The

Brief

The White Paper was published to positive feedback and served, during its time as the most exhaustive and objective review of a nascent industry. Four years on, the forecast of the report have largely become fact, and demonstrated the effectiveness of the S4S method.