Attended the launch of the new Milton Keynes Venture Fund (MKVF). Great to see this happening and I applaud the efforts of the council and all those involved in getting this off the ground. bookkeeping In Chancery (the accountants) they also have a strong partner. This however is where all the hard work and commitment starts. I have some experience of trying to ‘plug the funding gap’, not least as I ran the SFLGS scheme for NatWest for a while. It can be frustrating that what looks like a gaping hole at the outset can narrow down once you overlay the necessary criteria that distinguishes such schemes from normal bank lending. Then there is the old adage ‘you can take a horse to water but you can’t make him drink’. In analysis there become a whole host of supply and demand issues. I aim to use MKVF as much as I can in helping find solutions for clients – where it is right. Presentation of the case will become very important and through my links with Chancery I will work on how best to help clients with that. I would welcome feedback from any early users of MKVF so that I can give it the support that it deserves.
