Alas, it was not. In a market economy, the typical means for an entrepreneur to raise money for a new business or for expansion is to sell his idea to investors and creditors. Investors can be specialists like venture capitalists or investment banking firms, or everyday folks looking for a place to put some portion of their savings. Creditors can be commercial banks or commercial finance companies, or perhaps specialty bond underwriters. In any event, the means for raising funds is through the free and voluntary interaction of the marketplace.
Success is far from certain.
Only investors or creditors who are willing to risk their money participate. The entrepreneur's idea may find few willing to take the risk, and he may have to pay a high price to acquire at least some of the money he wants. Or he may not find the money at all, in which case the market has rendered the verdict that the idea is not profitable or worth the risk at that time. USEC, on the other hand, was not created in this fashion. Its initial capital represents an investment made by the U.S. government.