Support for businesses

Funding and grants

Trying to get your business off the ground or looking to grow an existing business? Funding can go a long way in helping you get there. Whether you’re looking for a Scottish Enterprise grant or need help accessing and understanding other types of funding, we can help.

Start-up funding advice

If you’re a start-up or micro-enterprise, Business Gateway can help connect you to a range of funding options. They can also help you get lender-ready with advice on things like pitching, business plans and managing debt.

Start-ups and small enterprises

Business grants

Here at Scottish Enterprise, we can offer a range of grants for small and medium enterprises as well as much larger companies. They can help fund specific projects like research and development, international expansion, design improvements and more.

Explore business grants

Accessing other finance

Our expert teams at our investment arm, the Scottish Investment Bank, offer one-to-one support and advice to businesses looking for funding. They can help you access a variety of sources of funding, including our own co-investment funds.

Explore investment funding

Other business finance resources

Finance options for your business

Work out whether debt finance or equity finance is right for your business.

Debt finance vs equity finance

The advice of a business mentor can be invaluable

Becoming investor ready

Interested in attracting investors to your business? Find out how to prepare.

Get ready for investors

Using your business plan to raise finance

Your business plan can be a useful tool when it comes to securing funding from banks, investors and other sources.

Raise finance with your business plan

Why choose us?

We've helped lots of businesses like yours to secure funding and investment

£315m R&D investment secured

We helped companies to secure £315 million planned R&D investment*

£215m capital investment secured

Our grants helped secure plans for £215 million of additional capital investment in Scotland*

£14m RSA grant funding

We offered £14 million in RSA grant funding to 75 companies to support expansion plans and job creation**

*based on 2017-18 performance, **based on RSA year-end report 2017-18

How funding helped Spoonfed access global markets

Funding from Scottish Investment Bank and Equity Gap allowed Spoonfed, who provide a software platform for the catering industry, to access global markets and achieve its ambition of tackling the American market.