Looking for some backing? Help could be at hand from a new initiative by the Government to help small businesses find big backers.

Corporate venturing, when big companies put some investment into smaller ones, helps smaller companies gain the financial backing that can be hard to find while allowing them to retain their own identity.

The initiative comes from the Government\'s Small Business Service (SBS) through the National Business Angels Network. The SBS is putting £1.5million into setting up the scheme.

In America, corporate venturing is already favoured by two thirds of the Top 100 companies as a way of tapping in to new markets and technologies. In the UK it is almost unheard of in spite of tax incentives introduced last year to encourage companies to make minority equity investments in smaller companies.

To find out more, call the National Business Angles Network hotline or visit their website: