The Flinc initiative, which is part of the Northern Dutch development agency the NOM, is hoping to stimulate more business across the North, with a focus on the province of Groningen
Translated by Thomas Ansell
As reported in the Groninger Internet Courant, Flinc is already active within the Northern Dutch business arena, acting as the link between financiers and companies. Bjorn Remeijer, project manager at Flinc, explained: ‘We’ve been active for several years, helping start-ups become investor ready, and making inroads into financing options. We’re setting out our expertise and financing network, in the hope of attracting more SME’s in the province of Groningen with growth ambitions and a need for funding.’
If a Groninger company is accepted by Flinc, they will be set upon an intensive 32-hour per week journey, where they will work with a business owner to come up with a business plan. This plan is likely to consider growth ambitions, internationalisation and export potential, the current state of the market for a new product or service, and questions of personnel and supply chains. Once the plan has been agreed, Flinc will introduce the business, its owner, and the new plan to its financing network.
The Flinc financing network has more than 250 active investors. Something that perhaps set Flinc apart is its insistence that its network contains investors, rather than subsidy advisors. Indeed, the position of the initiative within the NOM means that funds for new businesses can come from ‘angel investors’, crowd-funding, banks; credit unions; or indeed from the NOM itself.