OREANDA-NEWS. November 16, 2012. The German-French Internet platform EuroQuity has been online (www.euroquity.com) since 6 November 2012. Its purpose is to bring together businesses in need of capital and investors looking for an investment opportunity in Germany and France. OSEO, the French promotional bank devoted to SMEs, founded and operates this cost-free service together with KfW Bankengruppe.

EuroQuity is open to companies across all sectors and also caters to start-ups, especially in technology-based industries. Financing of projects will not take place via the platform, however. The portal, which has been operated highly successfully in France by OSEO since 2008, is the first cross-border private equity exchange for businesses and investors.

"EuroQuity puts small and medium-sized enterprises in touch with investors - also across national borders," explained Dr Ulrich Schroder, Chief Executive Officer of KfW Bankengruppe. "In this way EuroQuity facilitates access to equity while playing an important role in helping Europe to grow together."

The platform is also a milestone in eliminating companies' oftentimes pronounced reservations about private equity. As shown by the current KfW study on information costs as an obstacle to venture capital, the effort required to find a suitable investor deters many fast-growing businesses from opening their doors to venture capital. Companies can attract investors' attention by completing their user profile under www.euroquity.com in a few simple steps.

Platform users can join theme-based communities to heighten their chances of showcasing themselves. At the same time they can communicate with other users and even take advantage of individual services offered by those running the communities. Currently around 17,000 French user profiles have been created on the French platform www.euroquity.com, which was launched in France in 2008.