UK Startup Ecosystem 2015 Review

by Startacus Admin

August

• It was announced that UK startups had raised £163m through the government’s Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, whilst over £1.4bn was accessed through the broader Enterprise Investment Scheme.  Read our summary of the schemes for more information.  

• The disparity in levels of disposable income between people in the north of England and those in the rest of the country was widely reported as £2,300with many publications claiming that the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ might take a very long time to impact this.  

• It was announced that celebrated Glaswegian entrepreneur Michelle Mone was to head-up an independent review of entrepreneurship within disadvantaged communities.

• In response to the announcement Startacus HQ wrote about the barriers to entrepreneurship within disadvantaged areas.  As representatives of a sizeable community which was founded on the principles of removing barriers to entrepreneurship, we volunteered our support to the organisers of the review on several occasions.  Disappointingly we have yet to receive a single response.  

• The Labour Finance and Industry Group questioned each of the Labour Leadership hopefuls about how they would help to eradicate the notion that Labour is an anti-business party.

• Peer-to-peer lending service MarketInvoice which deals in the purchase of unpaid invoices from startups and SMEs, raises £6m investment.  

• A report by EE and the Centre for Economics and Business Research published a report which suggested that pop-up shops now contribute some £2.3bn annually to the UK economy, a figure which continues to grow.

• Microsoft Ventures London Accelerator launched an open call for innovative and passionate tech startups to join its upcoming programme.

Sept

• Jeremy Corbyn’s election as leader of the Labour Party received a mixed review from business leaders.

• Research carried out by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills revealed that ¼ of small businesses lack basic digital skills and are missing out on the benefits of a digital presence.

• The first ever UK Entrepreneurs Optimism Index suggested that confidence amongst business owners was strong.

• The UK tech community responded to the growing refugee crisis in North Africa and the Middle-East by launching a new movement called ‘Techfugees’.  

• World renowned tech accelerator Wayra teamed up with healthcare company Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd to launch a new preventative healthcare technology accelerator.

Oct

• Data compiled by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) revealed the best cities in the UK to start a business, with Brighton leading the race.

• The number of UK businesses reached a new high of 5.4 million according to official figures.  This represented an increase of 1.9 million since 2000.

• It was announced that the UK represented a third of all European Venture Capital investment.

• Almost 300 startups applied to be part of a new NI based Global accelerator.

• Startacus HQ gave away a number of Gold Passes to Apps World London, the World’s leading expo of mobile and app technology.

• UK’s leading entrepreneurship festival Made2015 took place in Sheffield.

• Very clever weight loss innovation Neurovalens is named as NI’s top startup.

• Innovative cauliflower startup Cauli Rice wins Virgin Startup Foodpreneur Festival competition.

• Startup growth in the North of England was given a boost by the announcement that office space provider Central Working is expanding its site in the Deansgate area of Manchester City Centre.
  
  

Brands & Startup / Business Services - Here are some ways you can work with Startacus to help us on our mission.

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Published on: 29th December 2015

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