Number 3 in our guide looks at funding options for product launch or service launch, in a technology-based business.
If you don’t have the time to read this or prefer to skip to the full guide, download it here.
Or to catch up number 1 in this series was on market validation and number 2 your legal checklist.
funding OPTIONS AND marketing
Launching a new product or service takes more than a great idea. Whether you’re a founder starting out or an established business leader exploring a new market, you’ll need to decide how to fund the journey.
I’m not a financial adviser, but from my experience as a marketing strategist, I see funding decisions directly shape how you present your offer, communicate with stakeholders and prioritise marketing. Your funding options for product launch or service launch influence:
- Your messaging: investors, grant panels or internal stakeholders all need clarity and confidence
- Your marketing assets: a clear pitch deck or business case doubles as early marketing material.
- Team morale: poor communication about funding creates uncertainty, which can undermine buy-in for your launch.
FUNDING OPTIONS FOR EARLY-STAGE BUSINESSES
For founders, the first step is often external. This could include:
- Friends and family: fast, but it can blur boundaries.
- Bank loans: straightforward if you can show viability.
- Crowdfunding: combines funding with early market validation.
- Grants: highly competitive, but worth exploring through organisations like Innovate UK.
From a marketing perspective, each option needs a different story. For example, crowdfunding requires you to communicate in a simple, emotionally engaging way to attract a wide audience. Grant funding, on the other hand, demands detailed evidence and alignment with policy goals.
FUNDING OPTIONS FOR ESTABLISHED BUSINESSES
For established businesses, the money may come from within. That creates different challenges.
- Ringfence funds: make sure new market activity doesn’t drain resources from the core business.
- Communicate clearly: to all stakeholders including existing staff. If there is concern that the main business is at risk, financial backing may not be forthcoming or staff morale may dip quickly.
- Position the opportunity: talk about growth, resilience, and innovation, not risk.
I’ve seen good internal communications make all the difference. When leaders present funding decisions as an investment in the future rather than a cost to the present, teams rally behind the initiative.
PITCH DECK AS MARKETING TOOL
Whatever your route, creating a pitch deck is a valuable exercise. It forces you to:
- Summarise your market research
- Define your value proposition
- Present clear financial projections
From a marketing perspective, the pitch deck becomes the foundation for sales presentations, investor packs, and even website messaging. It’s a practical way to align your marketing and funding stories.
Example: Crowdfunding vs corporate budget
Consider a tech start-up seeking £250k through crowdfunding. Their marketing must appeal to a broad community, using accessible language and compelling visuals to show impact. The campaign itself doubles as early brand-building. By contrast, an established engineering firm might allocate £250k from existing profits to fund a diversification project. Here, the focus is on clear internal communication, explaining to staff and stakeholders why the investment is happening, how it will be ringfenced, how their current investment and roles are protected and what success looks like. Both raise the same amount, but the marketing approach looks very different.
WHAT RESEARCH SAYS
McKinsey highlights the importance of adopting an “investor mindset” in marketing, treating resources like investments that should flow to the highest-value opportunities. In practice, this only works when leaders, finance, and marketing teams communicate openly. When funding decisions are shared clearly, marketing can focus on building assets and campaigns that support strategic goals. Without that alignment, teams risk pulling in different directions, which slows growth and weakens returns. >Read more in McKinsey’s article “Funnel vision: Marketing with an investor mindset”.
FINAL THOUGHT
Funding isn’t just a financial decision. The way you secure and communicate funding shapes your marketing message, your assets and your team’s confidence.
Look out for the next post in this launch series, where I’ll explore how to get your story straight and why it’s central to successful marketing.
If you would like to learn more immediately, you can download my Launch Guide with handy checklist here.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay