London launches £70m fund to back startups struggling to raise investment Business A new £70m fund backed by the Mayor of London and the British Business Bank has launched to help growing businesses struggling to secure finance from traditional lenders. The Future London Growth Fund, managed by investment firm FSE Group, will offer loans of between £1m and £3m to companies across London’s 32 boroughs and the [...]
It’s time savers benefited from Britain’s scale-up success Opinion Growth in every postcode won’t help Brits if the proceeds are invested abroad, says Saul Klein As a serial entrepreneur, operator and investor I’ve noticed that Britain has a habit of talking itself down, even when the evidence tells a different story. Across the UK, from King’s Cross to our regional innovation clusters, we have [...]
Venture heavyweights denounce government’s £1bn scale-up fund plans Investing The government’s flagship £1bn scale-up fund will miss out on top deals and chalk up poor performance for its pensioner investors should ministers select a traditional firm to manage it over a specialist venture capital shop, a group of the UK’s top early-stage investors has warned. The industry heavyweights, who between them are early backers [...]
Why Dry January is just another month for this alcohol-free beer brand January 3, 2025 Highlighting a year of growth, we take a look at some of the biggest and most recent achievements of the rapidly-growing alcohol-free beer brand, Days Brewing. Two friends, one pandemic and a few cold (alcohol-free) beers later – a long-lasting business was created. In 2020, former AB InBev man Mike Gammell and ex-Propercorn marketing chief [...]
A serial entrepreneur’s top tips for start-up success January 3, 2025 Looking to start a business in the new year? Emma Jones, serial entrepreneur and founder of small business support platform Enterprise Nation, shares her top tips for start-up success in 2025. “The advice for all sectors of business is the same because routes to profitability and growth depend on maintaining a good business model, a [...]
What start-ups taught me about ambition this year December 12, 2024 Ambition AM Editor Jennifer Sieg takes a look at what she’s learned from covering the world of entrepreneurship this year I am often asked what I look for when it comes to writing about a start-up or interviewing an entrepreneur, and for quite some time I considered it to be the million dollar question. Fortunately, [...]
The state is nothing like a start-up December 11, 2024 Pat McFadden wants the state to be more like a start-up, but the ‘move fast and break things’ mentality has no place in public services on which so many depend. There is, however, a better model… The government’s announcement of a £100m innovation fund to embrace a “test-and-learn” mindset is undeniably ambitious. Speaking at University [...]
Only the most ‘robust and resilient’ will survive post-Budget blues December 10, 2024 Jennifer Sieg meets Joanna Jensen, serial entrepreneur and founder of family skincare brand Childs Farm, to discuss all things business, investment and start-up trends If you are not prepared to make big personal sacrifices to boost your returns or retain your staff, you might not want to start a business anytime soon. This is the [...]
How I crafted the perfect recipe for my multimillion-pound biscuit brand December 3, 2024 Building a successful business takes a focussed mind and a steady hand - but can you have both?
The ‘perfect storm’ is upon us — Britain needs more start-up support November 18, 2024 The largest annual festival of entrepreneurship and start-up events in the world is officially upon us, with a “perfect storm” paving the way for this year’s celebrations in Britain. Global Entrepreneurship Week is traditionally a moment of celebration in Britain — five days a week where budding entrepreneurs and wealth makers come together to support [...]