The objective of this thesis is to give an insight into a company’s external financing tools during its life cycle. There have been wide discussions on the financing situations of businesses all around the world and the tightening economical situation has had a major impact on the financing tools. This study examines the potential financing tools through the company’s life cycle. This study reviews the current financing situation of companies in Finland. The theoretical segment focuses to explain growth, business lifecycle and the external financing tools of a company. The lifecycle of a company is influenced by many factors and the choice of funding has a major role in the lifecycle. The study on external financing tools is based on the available funding possibilities in Finland. The sources used in this part are literature, published research data, online sources and news articles. The research part of the study was conducted via semi-structured interviews that gave an overall view on the growth of a firm and the external financing methods used during the growth. The research part also consists of news articles and online publications to provide a current outlook on the current external financing environment. The study focuses on the external funding and does not consider the possible involvement of own equity in funding operations. Also the lifecycle of a company is based on hypothesis that assumes the company experiences growth constantly. Based on the research, it can be expected that the external financing environment is going through a change in Finland due to the fact that the major funding source, banks, are undergoing a structural change. The case study research indicates that the industry in which the company operates has a major role in the choice of external financing instruments. Additionally the entrepreneur’s attitude towards external financing sources must be taken into consideration, as entrepreneurs may be reluctant to take external funding due to its terms and conditions