Small Business Capital Formation

As mandated by the Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1980, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission conducts an annual forum that focuses on small business capital formation.1 Called the "SEC Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation," this gathering has assembled every year since 1982. A major purpose of the Forum is to provide a platform to highlight perceived unnecessary impediments to small business capital formation and address whether they can be eliminated or reduced. Each Forum seeks to develop recommendations for government and private action to improve the environment for small business capital formation, consistent with other public policy goals, including investor protection. The 2013 Forum, the 32nd, was convened at the SEC's headquarters at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C., on Thursday, November 21, 2013. The program included both panel discussions and breakout groups.

Discusses U.S. small business' (SB) access to equity capital financing (ECF), which is money raised by a business by selling shares of ownership, or potential ownership, of the business. The specific objectives of this report are to: (1) provide an overview of the major sources of external ECF for U.S. SB & describe SBA's Office of Advocacy estimate of their perceived needs for ECF; (2) determine trends for the period of 1994-99 in SB ECF; (3) describe how market practices & securities law regulations for equity capital-raising activities could affect SB; & (4) describe any efforts undertaken by federal & state agencies to facilitate SB access to equity capital. Charts & tables.