The SME Restart Fund
Interview with Joan Algra, who works as a consultant for governments and entrepreneurs and one of those involved in realizing the SME Doorstartfonds.
A guest in this podcast is Joan Algra, owner of Baranka Consultancy and an advisor for governments and entrepreneurs and one of those involved in the realization of the SME Doorstartfonds.
The Bbz scheme was established in 1964 and is a safety net for entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, there are some gaps in the scheme, because the Bbz has not been developed over the years. If an entrepreneur is not eligible for this scheme, for example because the person has a partner with an income higher than social assistance level, the MKB Doorstartfonds is the very last safety net. The MKB Doorstartfonds was established in July 2014 by the province of Flevoland and is specifically for entrepreneurs who live in Flevoland or have their business here. Seven companies have now made use of this fund, varying from a self-employed person to a company with 7 employees. The amounts borrowed (a personal loan) vary from € 25 to a maximum of € 6.000. It is a loan, so the amount must be paid back within 190.000 years.
Why does that fund really only exist in Flevoland? In Flevoland the Bbz cooperation, the socio-economic infrastructure around the entrepreneur, is very well organized. We actually need a national fund, which is why we would now like to roll this out nationally. We could make the fund bigger, for example through crowdfunding. In any case, it is important to establish a connection between the Ministries of Social Affairs and Economic Affairs or perhaps through private initiatives. This frees up more money to lend to companies in need.