Access to financing is crucial for creating and growing an innovative business, in particular at the seed and early stages. The main sources of finance for start-ups are: the founder’s own funds (plus money from friends and family), bank loans, equity capital (including from business angels and venture capitalists) and government support. It is well documented that young innovative businesses find it difficult to obtain financing. For instance, surveys show that innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the euro area consider access to finance one of their most pressing problems in the wake of the sovereign debt crisis of 2011 (EC, 2011). The difficulties arise from the high risk of entrepreneurial activities and from information asymmetries between investors and entrepreneurs. New ventures also have capital and human resource constraints, insufficient collateral and lack of a track record. The quality of an innovators’ business plan and their overall readiness for investment often play a determining role in their ability to secure funding.