Business development director and entrepreneur Simon Gall profiles less-obvious sources of finance.

Companies are now using online funding platforms to find equity and debt finance. In my own database of business contacts, I have met 188 funding-platform chief executives since 2012, providing or specialising in many types and levels of finance. The issue is, which are the most perti-nent for the type of finance required.As a synopsis, these are the platform types.

1 Crowdfunding: mainly relevant for start-up and innovative people and small companies seeking cash for launching, promoting or producing a…