The British Small Business Awards 2017, organised by SmallBusiness.co.uk and GrowthBusiness.co.uk, sponsored by Travelers, Salesforce and Dun & Bradstreet and held on November 1 at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London, is the leading awards ceremony in the SME space, rewarding the brightest stars of the UK small business scene, together with the vendors and advisers that help them start, run, grow and succeed.

Our latest shortlist announcement is the Alternative Finance Provider of the Year category.

In this category, the judges will assess online finance providers such as crowdfunding sites and peer-to-peer lenders. They will look for the operators most notable in financing small companies, considering factors such as volume of funds provided, innovative services and a dedicated SME offering.

After careful consideration and a close scrutiny of how each candidate matched up to the criteria, the Alternative Finance Provider of the Year finalists are revealed as:

Businessagent.com
Crowdcube
Funding Circle
Growth Street
Indiegogo
MarketInvoice
Ratesetter
Seedrs
Shire Leasing
Syndicate Room

The need for an Alternative Finance Provider of the Year category represents the astronomical rise of new and exciting ways to finance businesses online. Equity operators are a realistic option for start-ups, with companies able to raise six (and seven) figure amounts to build their businesses from an early stage. Peer-to-peer lenders suit businesses that are more established, offering debt finance, often for investment in equipment or stock. Whatever your needs, there seems to be an innovative online finance option, whether it be a secured or unsecured loan, invoice finance, equity or otherwise, and the marketplace continues to develop and serve the ever-evolving needs of SMEs.

The British Small Business Awards, taking place on November 1 at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London, is the leading celebration of the UK’s small business sector, recognising the nation’s best sole traders, micro businesses and small companies – as well as the service providers, financiers and advisers that support them. For more information, please visit the British Small Business Awards website here.

The British Small Business Awards event is sponsored by:

The British Small Business Awards event is supported by: