Entrepreneurship Finance Conceptual Framework in Iran

Financing has always been one of the main challenges for the creation and development of startups and small & medium enterprises. Entrepreneurs are also reluctant to allocate all their resources to innovative projects. Furthermore, investors are unwilling to invest on these projects due to insufficient funding, inadequate cash flow and information asymmetry. In spite of numerous studies on entrepreneurship locally and globally, few studies have been conducted on entrepreneurship finance.  In this paper, we have identified 36 factors, including 11 components by reviewing the procedures, theories and conceptual frameworks of entrepreneurship finance. Likewise, financing challenges of entrepreneurs and risky investors were surveyed using a questionnaire consisting a 5-point Likert scale. In order to develop a conceptual framework for entrepreneurship finance in Iran aimed at improving the access of entrepreneurs to financial resources, the researchers then assessed these factors by surveying expert opinion polls and Confirmatory Factor Analysis technique. The results of this fundamental research indicate that 9 factors, namely the personality traits and entrepreneurial personal abilities, legal protections, state governance, capital market depth, financing tools, characteristics of entrepreneurial activity, business environment and financing eco-system relations have been significant in explaining entrepreneurs' access to financial resources.