Spring Breaks For Start-Ups

Now that Spring, with its air of new beginnings, is definitely in the air, new companies are being offered a multitude of attractive deals and funding to help boost their fledgling businesses.

For example, an accelerator scheme for digital enterprises is asking for submissions for its next programmes, which will offer successful candidates the chance of securing an £18,000 investment to kick-start their businesses.

Ignite will run three 18-week programmes over the next year in Newcastle, with new firms receiving business support and mentoring as well as additional capital from Ignite’s network of angel investors for the ones with the most successful business ideas.

Meanwhile, in Cambridge, a new business incubation centre has opened, in a bid to bolster the social enterprise and cleantech clusters in the area. At the centre, entrepreneurs will be able find profit-generating solutions to social and environmental issues and test new business models.

The Future Business Centre will also offer a variety of workspaces, from workshops to offices, as well as hot-desking and virtual tenancy options for the more embryonic start-ups, while, in addition, there will be meeting rooms and modern conference facilities available to hire.

Then in London, a new ‘triage’ desk has been opened, which aims to offer free advice to new firms by pairing entrepreneurs with ‘advocates’ from successful businesses.

Tech London Advocates is offering the mentoring scheme at its private advocacy offices at TechHub, near Silicon Roundabout in the capital on a no-appointment basis.

Entrepreneurs will be able to seek advice from a successful advocate in a relevant business for an hour on any aspect of running their start-up, from funding and tax enquiries to marketing and recruitment.