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FoundationsConcept 11 of 15

Part 1 of 3, 0 done
BANKCOMING SOON$$$$$

Money to start and grow · 14 min

Whose money starts a business?

Your own savings, a loan you pay back, or investors who take a piece of the business. Each one costs something different.

Ticket 01 · The guess

How many sell a piece of the business?

The Federal Reserve surveys small businesses with employees every year. What share of them got money from an equity investor, someone buying a piece of the business, in the past year?

15%
0%40%
Words to know

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

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Sources and every number (1)

Sources

  • 2026 Report on Employer Firms: Findings from the 2025 Small Business Credit Survey · Federal Reserve Banks, 2025

Every number

  • 2%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Share of small employer firms that received an equity investment (including from friends or family). Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 24%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Share of small employer firms that received funds from an owner, apart from loans and credit. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 8%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Share of small employer firms that received a loan from family or friends. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 58%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Of the few firms that got an equity investment, the share where it came from the owners. A small sample: about a hundred firms. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 58%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Of the few firms that got an equity investment, the share where it came from friends or family. A small sample. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 15%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Of the few firms that got an equity investment, the share where it came from venture capital. A small sample. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  1. Lessons›
  2. Foundations
  • ·Before this: Profit, cash, and what you own
  • ·Next: Who sets the rules for your business?
  • ·Free calculator: Startup cost calculator
Skip to the lesson

FoundationsConcept 11 of 15

Part 1 of 3, 0 done
BANKCOMING SOON$$$$$

Money to start and grow · 14 min

Whose money starts a business?

Your own savings, a loan you pay back, or investors who take a piece of the business. Each one costs something different.

Ticket 01 · The guess

How many sell a piece of the business?

The Federal Reserve surveys small businesses with employees every year. What share of them got money from an equity investor, someone buying a piece of the business, in the past year?

15%
0%40%
Words to know

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

We'll also send this page, the lesson, ticket 1, so we can find it. Nothing else. Privacy

·
Sources and every number (1)

Sources

  • 2026 Report on Employer Firms: Findings from the 2025 Small Business Credit Survey · Federal Reserve Banks, 2025

Every number

  • 2%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Share of small employer firms that received an equity investment (including from friends or family). Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 24%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Share of small employer firms that received funds from an owner, apart from loans and credit. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 8%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Share of small employer firms that received a loan from family or friends. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 58%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Of the few firms that got an equity investment, the share where it came from the owners. A small sample: about a hundred firms. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 58%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Of the few firms that got an equity investment, the share where it came from friends or family. A small sample. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  • 15%fedsmallbusiness.org ·2025 · Of the few firms that got an equity investment, the share where it came from venture capital. A small sample. Federal Reserve Banks' Small Business Credit Survey of employer firms, fielded in late 2025, about the prior twelve months.
  1. Lessons›
  2. Foundations
  • ·Before this: Profit, cash, and what you own
  • ·Next: Who sets the rules for your business?
  • ·Free calculator: Startup cost calculator