Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)

Question 103: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment her views on the problems that companies looking to develop physical products, such as a new computing device for international markets, from inception, research and development, tooling manufacture and to packaging development and so on, are encountering when trying to source early stage capital funding between €1.5 million and €10 million such as the fact that the funding requirements of up to €10 million are too big to attract angel investors, that the business expansion scheme is capped at €1.5 million and that they are too early in the product development stage and therefore perceived as too high a risk for development capital venture capital investors; the solutions she is prepared to put in place that will alleviate these shortcomings for such companies looking to bring physical products to the market; the resulting job opportunities for this State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5352/10]

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