The Hungarian SME sector consists of 591,000 enterprises, of which 562,000 are micro-, 24,000 are small- and 5,000 are medium-sized enterprises. Start Zrt. offers its unique financial products to this client base, mainly for the 29,000 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME). Start Zrt's products assist SMEs in their efforts to raise development capital and to obtain non-refundable European Union grants.

Start Zrt's direct guarantee of payment for EU grants is available for domestic SMEs, who successfully applied for non-refundable European Union grants under the Nemzeti Fejlesztési Terv (National Development Plan) or the Új Magyarország Fejlesztési Terv (New Hungary Development Plan). The product enables SMEs which do not have an unencumbered real estate or are unable to obtain a bank guarantee to fulfil collateral conditions required in acquiring non-refundable EU grants. Start Zrt. provides guarantee of payment for a minimum of HUF 5 million to a maximum of HUF 100 million for both the implementation and the operation phase of the development project. The use of the product improves the financial flexibility of the enterprise that receives EU grant since Start Zrt. will not require collaterals from its clients.

The equity guarantee product is available for experienced private and institutional financial investors. Start Zrt. provides a guarantee for up to 50-80% of the capital investment in domestic SMEs, for a minimum of HUF 5 million and a maximum of HUF 100 million. Equity guarantee's annual fee is between 1 and 4% of the guaranteed investment. Exact amount of the annual fee is determined by the individual rating of the investor, the investee company and the purpose of the capital raising. The collateral behind the equity guarantee is the investor's entire shareholding acquired in the SME. This guarantee can be provided for a maximum of 5 years and only if the investment takes place in the form of capital increase performed in cash.

The portfolio equity guarantee product, which provides a maximum of 50% reimbursement for the incidental capital loss on investments made in newly established Hungarian venture capital funds. Start Zrt. provides portfolio equity guarantee for a minimum of HUF 500 million to a maximum of HUF 1,000 million and for a minimum term of 7 to a maximum term of 12 years. The beneficiary of the product may only be such venture capital fund that invests at least 60% of its capital in Hungarian SMEs in the form of capital increase.

Start Zrt. contracts for a profit sharing with its clients in case of its equity guarantee products. In the event the beneficiary of the guarantee realises capital gain on the disposal of the guaranteed investment or the guaranteed venture capital fund does so during the term of the guarantee, a certain percentage of the realised gain shall be payable by the beneficiary to Start Guarantee Fund. Profit sharing aims to increase the value of the Start Guarantee Fund which will serve the development of SMEs even after the closure of the 15-year equity guarantee program.

Guarantees issued by Start Zrt. are backed by the more than HUF 6 billion Start Guarantee Fund, which is managed by the Hungarian Enterprise Development Foundation (MVA). Based on the 15- year agreement between Start Zrt. and MVA, the Fund shall serve exclusively as collateral of Start Zrt's guarantees and guarantees of payment in case they are called by the beneficiaries.