ENTREPRENEURS NEWS | IN BRIEF
ENTREPRENEURIAL FESTIVAL LINE-UP
MADE: The Entrepreneur Festival announced its headline speakers this week: government ministers Vince Cable and Mark Prisk, venture capitalists Julie Meyer, Luke Johnson and Dragons’ Den’s Peter Jones. They will be speaking on entrepreneurial inspiration, market disruption and business growth. Over 2,000 entrepreneurs will come to the city to share their knowledge and ideas. Prisk says the festival will be “a great showcase of entrepreneurial culture.” It will take place on 21-24 September in Sheffield. For more information go to www.madefestival.com
MINISTER GIVES AWAY START UP MONEY
Business minister Mark Prisk has launched a £5m start-up fund for local enterprise partnerships. The regional agencies were asked to bid for start-up cost funding. Out of 32 bids, 18 received their full bid while 14 were offered a reduced amount. The fund was a one-off pot of money for those who had innovative ways of using the cash. Prisk said: “This financial support will help the partnerships move up a gear. It will allow them to pay for things such as training for the board members, as well as support their work engaging with the wider business community.”
JUMP ABOARD THE SMALL BUSINESS BUS
The StartUp Britain team are busing themselves around the UK on a tour of entrepreneurial hot spots. The bus will visit 14 locations in a bid to inspire Brits to start their own businesses. Experts, mentors, entrepreneurs and small business authors will be aboard the bus. Emma Jones of StartUp Britain says: “We’ll be visiting employees moving from employment into self-employment. I look forward to welcoming hundreds of start-ups and small businesses on board.” For more information go to www.startupbritain.org/summerbustour