How we help you start a business

Do you have a business idea, or have you recently started a business? Find out what support you can get during the startup phase.
Mennesker jobber alene eller sammen ved samme bord

Webinar for startups: From idea to market

Do you have an innovative business idea and are you considering applying for Startup grant 1? This free webinar explains what you need to have in place before you apply and what makes a strong market validation project.

Read more about the webinar
View the calendar of upcoming webinars
Se presentasjon: Fra idé til marked

Tools

We guide you

We will let you know where you can apply for relevant support and which organisations can provide the advisory and expertise you need through ‘One Way In’ – a digital gateway to support from public bodies and other relevant organisations in Norway.

This is not an application, but guidance to help you move your project forward.

We treat your information as confidential and only use your answers to give you the best possible guidance. We will get back to you as soon as possible, and the form takes around 15–20 minutes to complete.

Get feedback on your project
Answer a few questions and receive feedback within 1–2 working days on how we and other organisations in Norway can support you.

Who can apply for grants and loans?

Our funding schemes support different stages of the startup journey and are available to companies that:

  • are less than three years old (five years in exceptional cases)
  • is incorporated as a limited company before you submit your application (sole proprietorships, general partnerships, partnerships with shared liability, etc. are not eligible)
  • is a genuinely new business with the potential and ambition to grow
How we process applications

1. Insight

We familiarise ourselves with your company and the plans you have described in your application. In many cases, your customer adviser, who is your point of contact, will ask for more information. We may invite you to a meeting so you can present the project in more detail.

If your application falls outside our target group, we will reject it without requesting any further information.

2. Assessment

Once we have sufficient information and documentation, we assess your project against our financing policy. We receive a large number of applications and have limited funding available.

At this stage, at least two of us, and often more, always assess each application. Your customer adviser summarises the assessment and recommends whether we should approve or reject the application.

3. Decision

We present our recommendation to a decision-maker, who ensures that the assessment and decision comply with our funding policy. Decisions may be made at regional or national level, depending on the size of the project.

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Go to My page to start or continue your application.
Published 17 Feb 2026Last updated 24 Jun 2026
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