Startups that never achieve positive cash flow from operations might seem like a risky investment. And that's probably why the Small Business Administration is offering an incentive to get people to buy in. The agency posted a notice to the Federal Register Monday calling for proposals from fund managers to get licensed as "early-stage small business investment companies," which would qualify them to receive federally-guaranteed loans of up to 100 percent of their regulatory capital — that is, the amount of liquidity required to ensure they're not at risk of default.
