The scale-up finance gap in the EU: causes, consequences, and policy solutions

Quas, A., Mason, C. , Compañó, R., Testa, G. and Gavigan, J. (2022) The scale-up finance gap in the EU: causes, consequences, and policy solutions. European Management Journal, 40(5), pp. 645-652. (doi: 10.1016/j.emj.2022.08.003)

Abstract

This paper assesses the financing gap faced by innovative start-ups in the European Union (EU) when they reach the scaling-up stage of their development. It draws on data collected through a seminar involving 117 experts representing start-ups and scale-ups, financial actors, academia, and EU policymakers and aimed at investigating the causes, consequences, and policy solutions of the scale-up gap in the EU. Besides highlighting supply-side deficiencies, the seminar also emphasised weaknesses in both the demand side of the scale-up gap and the EU ecosystem for high-growth entrepreneurship. The paper offers policy recommendations, highlighting the need for policy solutions involving private actors and specifically targeting scale-ups. The paper also calls for more robust research on measuring the scale-up financing gap and its economic impact to improve the policy response.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Mason, Professor Colin
• Authors: Quas, A., Mason, C., Compañó, R., Testa, G., and Gavigan, J.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Journal Name: European Management Journal
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0263-2373
• ISSN (Online): 1873-5681
• Published Online: 17 August 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in European Management Journal 40(5): 645-652
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License