1. WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL WITH SMALL BUSINESS

• 1.1. EXPLANATIONS FROM ECONOMICS
• 1.2. IMPORTANCE OF SMALL BUSINESSES
• 1.3. THE REALITY

1.1. EXPLANATIONS FROM ECONOMICS

• Theory of production and supply from classical economics
• Theory of institutional economics
• The essence of market-driven economy

1.2. IMPORTANCE OF SMALL BUSINESSES

• Economic growth
• Create jobs
• Spark innovation
• Provide opportunities for less privileged people

1.3. THE REALITY

• Small Business, Big impact
• Small business is BIG
• Small business sector is growing rapidly

2. U.S.'S PRACTICES ON SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESS

• 2.1. LEGAL SYSTEM
• 2.2. GOV'S SUPPORT
• 2.3. SOCIETY
• 2.4. PEOPLE & CULTURE

2.1.1. LEGAL SYSTEM - Public laws

• Small Business Act
• Small Business Investment Act
• Community Reinvestment Act
• Small Business Innovation Development Act
• Small Business Research and Development Enhancement Act
• Small Business Reauthorization Act
• Small Business Technology Transfer Act
• Consolidated Appropriations Act
• Equal Credit Opportunity Act
• Small Business Jobs Act of 2010
• Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act

2.1.2. LEGAL SYSTEM - Business laws and regulations

• Advertising & Marketing Law
• Employment & Labor Law
• Finance Law
• Intellectual Property Law
• Online Business Law
• Privacy Law
• Environmental Regulations
• Regulation of Financial Contracts
• Workplace Safety & Health Law
• Foreign Workers & Employee Eligibility

2.1.3. LEGAL SYSTEM - Legal aid

• Consumer's Guide To Legal Help On The Internet
• ABA Lawyer Referral Service
• Your State Bar Association
• Fees And Expenses
• Arbitration

2.2.1. GOV'S SUPPORT - Committees and conferences

• U.S. Senate Committee on SBE
• House Small Business Committee
• White House Conference on Small Business

2.2.2. GOV'S SUPPORT - Small Business Administration

• Lending programs
• Entrepreneurial development programs
  • Annual SBA 'Straight Talk'
  • Small Business Development Centers
  • Women's Business Centers
  • Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)
  • Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOC)
• Federal contracting and business development programs
  • 8(a) Business Development Program
  • HUBZone
• Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program

2.2.3. GOV'S SUPPORT - Small Business and Community Development Programs

• State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)
• Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF)
• Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund)
• Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization

2.2.4. GOV'S SUPPORT - Series of government initiatives

• SBIR: Small Business Innovation Research Program
• STTR: Small Business Technology Transfer Program
• FAST: Federal and State Technology Partnership Program

2.3. SOCIETY

• Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
• National Small Business Association
• SBIA: The Small Business Investor Alliance

2.4. PEOPLE & CULTURE

• Failure tolerance
• Spirit of adventure
• Entrepreneurship

3. SME FINANCE IN THE U.S.

3.1. BANK LENDING

• Remained tight for the past several years
• Steadily improved
• 

3.2. GOV'S SOURCES

• SBA Lending programs
  • Loan Guarantee Program
  • 504 Fixed Asset Financing Program
  • MicroLoan Program
  • Disaster Loan Program
• Small Business Investment Company Financing
• U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im)

3.3. ONLINE LENDING

• Changed SME finance substantially since the financial crises
• Using proprietary technique to offer speed and high odds of success than traditional lenders
• The growth will be tested as regulations evolve

3.4. VENTURE CAPITAL

• Reached its highest level since 2000
• Most went to expansion stage deals
• Seed stage deals received the lowest funds since 2005

3.5. ANGEL INVESTMENT

• Angel market steadily recovered since 2008, but still remained below pre-crises levels
• Migrated away from seed and start-up stage investing, much like VCs
• Software claims the largest share of angel investments

3.6. CROWDFUNDING

• Global crowdfunding industry has grown explosively
• 
• Equity-based model is assuming center stage because of the JOBS Act