Startup Britain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Startup Britain is a private sector led initiative, launched by David Cameron, with full support of the UK Government,[1][2] and in partnership with over 60 businesses. The aim is to help budding entrepreneurs around the country through access to a combination of practical support, offers, and help. A web portal has been launched that aims to encourage and help anyone thinking about starting a company or growing a business.

Background

It was launched on 28 March with the support of HM Government and over 60 businesses. Key points of interest are:

  • The campaign has international links and was welcomed by the White House. It has forged strong links with StartUp America [3] and has inspired new initiatives around the world including StartUp Italia and StartUp Greece.
  • Startup Britain has been supported by the Business Finance Taskforce and the British Bankers' Association.
  • In total Startup Britain will attempt to deliver a benefit package that represents over £1500 in value for every start-up company in Britain.
  • It has committed to more than 1,500 hours of entrepreneur mentoring and over 100 mentors matched to mentees[4]
  • The Marketing Agencies Association began running an annual competition in 2011, in association with the StartUp Britain initiative, which encourages new and existing businesses to develop. A shortlist of entrepreneurs is drawn up, each of whom have ten minutes to pitch to win the free services of Proximity, Iris, Exposure and RPM for a year.[5] The first company to win this award was Safetray Products Ltd.

Company pledges

Company pledges to Startup Britain include:

  • AXA will offer 10% off business insurance
  • BlackBerry will offer 1,000 free Start Up Guides
  • Microsoft will train 5,000 start-ups in how to use technology to drive their business and marketing activities, including free technology resources worth up to £400 per company [6]
  • Google will support start ups, initially by providing them with a limited amount of free advertising
  • Regus will offer 6 months free 'Businessworld' membership giving access to worldwide network of business lounges and use of a virtual office address[7]
  • O2 to offer one months free line rental
  • PayPal will offer three months free fees for new accounts when signing up to a Powa.com website
  • Fujitsu offers a 30-day free trial and/or 10% off the annual costs of IT storage/processing requirements via its online “Cloud” service
  • McKinsey & Co will join with leading employers to launch Entrepreneur First to encourage our most innovative graduates to start up their own business

YouGov and UCL, working with StartUp Britain and in collaboration with Imperial College London will lead the development of a pilot Start-up Summer to stimulate, encourage and support student entrepreneurs.[8] Martha Lane Fox, co-founder of lastminute.com will teach a masterclass as part of StartUp Summer.

Quotes related to Start-up Britain

The buzz created and interest there has been in Startup Britain since its launch has been truly impressive. It is going to be the next generation of entrepreneurs who really drive our economy forward and create the jobs and opportunities of the future. Hopefully many more people have now been inspired to seize the moment and start a business.
—David Cameron
StartUp Britain is simple and powerful. It aims to be the biggest ever drive from the private sector to contribute to a robust economic recovery – an ‘enterprise-led recovery’, by business, for business.
—Oli Barrett
StartUp Britain will inspire people to start a business who might not otherwise have considered it. It will celebrate entrepreneurship and accelerate the growth of those start-up businesses that will in turn provide wealth, jobs and entrepreneurial legacy – which are all very much needed in the UK today.
—Emma Jones

Response since launch

Data from Experian Hitwise shows that searches for start-up advice rose 25 per cent during the first week of April week as budding entrepreneurs took to the web following the Government’s ‘Budget for Growth’, along with the launch of StartUp Britain Experian Hitwise (2011).

An immediate increase in the number of people searching online for advice on starting up a business, with proportionally more online interest from people in the North West and the Midlands, and amongst those living in some of the UK’s most remote, rural areas Experian Hitwise (2011).

James Caan discusses in the Telegraph the need for a mobile application that provides basic guidance to new entrepreneurs, and praises Startup Britain for leading this initiative.[9]

In an opinion piece in The Telegraph, Colin Weatherspoon claims that "The more encouragement without support there is, the more fuelling of failures and start-up abortions there will be".[10]

Martha Lane Fox joins the initiative through Startup Summer for YouGov.[8]

Founding members

StartUp Britain is the brainchild of entrepreneurs:

  • Oli Barrett, Co-Sponsorship Agency
  • Duncan Cheatle, The Supper Club
  • Rajeeb Dey, Enternships.com
  • Michael Hayman, Seven Hills
  • Emma Jones, Enterprise Nation
  • Lara Morgan, Company Shortcut
  • Richard O’Connor, Chocolate and Love
  • Jamie Murray Wells, Glasses Direct and Hearing Direct

Full list of supporting companies

Full list of company supporters of StartUp Britain (March 2011):

  1. Alibaba
  2. AXA
  3. Barclays
  4. Bitsy
  5. BlackBerry
  6. Brightword Publishing
  7. Browser Creative
  8. Co-Sponsorship Agency
  9. Coutts
  10. Deloitte
  11. eBay
  12. eConsultancy
  13. Enterprise Nation
  14. Enternships
  15. Ernst & Young
  16. Euro RSCG
  17. Experian
  18. Fujitsu
  19. GlassesDirect.com
  20. Global Entrepreneurship Week
  21. Gloople
  22. Google
  23. GoResponse
  24. GoToMeeting
  25. HP
  26. HSBC
  27. Intel
  28. Instant Offices
  29. Irwin Mitchell
  30. King & Allen
  31. KPMG
  32. Lloyds TSB
  33. MADE Festival
  34. McKinsey
  35. Microsoft
  36. MOO.COM
  37. Mother
  38. MyKindaCrowd
  39. O2
  40. PayPal
  41. PayPoint
  42. Powa
  43. Powwownow
  44. PWC
  45. Reed
  46. Regus
  47. RBS
  48. Santander
  49. Seko Synergy
  50. Seven Hills
  51. Sign Up To
  52. Simply Business
  53. Standard Chartered
  54. Staples
  55. The Supper Club
  56. UnLtd
  57. Virgin Media
  58. Virgin Trains
  59. Vistaprint
  60. WorldFirst
  61. Yell
  62. Yo! Sushi

References

  1. ↑ "BBC News - David Cameron: Now is time to start business". Bbc.co.uk. 2011-03-28. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ "Unveiling StartUp Britain". Startup America Partnership. 2011-03-27. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 
  4. ↑ "JBW Group MD, Jamie Waller pledges time to mentor startups - Business Credit News UK". Creditman.biz. 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 
  5. ↑ "MAA and StartUp Britain to offer free agency services | Advertising news | Campaign". Campaignlive.co.uk. 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 
  6. ↑ "Community - Microsoft Business UK". Microsoft.com. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 
  7. ↑ "Regus to offer EF entrepreneurs flexible workspace access". Entrepreneurfirst.org.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Debbie Andalo. "Is one of your students the next Martha Lane Fox or Richard Branson? | Higher Education Network | Guardian Professional". Guardian. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 
  9. ↑ "Me and my iPad: James Caan". Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 
  10. ↑ "Does the Government really want to inspire entrepreneurs?". Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 

External links

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