Access to finance is still a major barrier to business development in the Mediterranean. This is especially true when it comes to young entrepreneurs that must fight much more than average to get proper funding. ReSt@rts intends to break down this business obstacle by supporting the so-called “non-bankable” young people. The project will extend the microfinance system developed in previous projects to new geographical areas and sectors and will ensure that the main results of these projects are consolidated into new policies at regional level. Aimed at both entrepreneurs and microfinance providers, a marketplace platform will be developed to gather the supply and demand in a friendly and easily accessible business environment. In this platform, crowdfunding will be playing a key role, as the ReSt@rts partners understand that the use of alternative financing is essential whenever the traditional ways of funding fail. Thanks to ReSt@rts, many Mediterranean young would-be entrepreneurs will get a new chance to fund their business ideas. Eventually, concerned entrepreneurs will have access to a wide Mediterranean cross-border networks of pontential investors.
Obective
To contribute to stimulate access to finance in the Mediterranean, by broadening the funding options, encouraging the use of alternative finance and gathering the supply and the demand within a transnational and digital marketplace
What will be improved?
Aside from replicating a full-structural microfinance model of support to entrepreneurs and fund providers, the project will have an impact at different levels. On the short run, new business ideas will be promoted and funded, facilitating the access of new products and services to the market and strengthening the entrepreneurship mindsets of the Mediterranean youth that otherwise might be discouraged when seeing their ideas turned down over and over again. On the long run, new jobs will be created as a result of the empowered business ideas, and, last but not least, the overall framework of access to credit and alternative microfinance in the participating countries will be smarter and more effective than it is today.
Who will benefit?
- Young entrepreneurs and women usually considered as ‘non-bankable’
- Business angels
- Private and public finance institutions
- Local and regional authorities
Expected achievements
- 1 industry microfinance study 2.0
- 1 microfinance providers association set in place
- 1 microfinance manifesto for public authorities
- 1 training delivered to microfinance providers
- 1 Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) for aspiring Mediterranean entrepreneurs
- Consultancy support provided to entrepreneurs
- 1 digital marketplace platform that will gather supply and demand of microfunding
Contribution to policy-making
The main contribution of ReSt@rts to policy-making will be to reach and involve multiple stakeholders, connecting the policy framework developed for crowdfunding with the one developed for the business empowering of fragile target groups, such as youth and women. ReSt@rts will apply this model to the Mediterranean context, thus further improving the harmonization of the regulatory framework and mutual exchange. The European Crowdfunding Network “AISBL”, associated partner to the project, will play a crucial role in guiding the public authorities in integrating the tools proposed by ReSt@rts.
