Published: June 20th, 2016
More than 120 business support products and services available to businesses in Shropshire/Herefordshire are now listed by the Marches Growth Hub.
Recent additions include finance options including crowd-funding platforms and support to secure investment from business ‘angels’.
And new funds to help support the growth of digital companies and SMEs looking to replace high energy equipment with low carbon alternatives have also been added to the Support Finder directory at www.marchesgrowthhub.co.uk
Latest additions include:
TD Ventures €5 million Business Accelerator Fund
TD Ventures is a new business accelerator with equity investment available to facilitate the growth of new digital companies. The programme will nurture and invest in young digital businesses and start-up companies operating in the digital sector.
The programme has a total fund of €5 million to invest. Tradedoubler will invest up to €500,000 in a single company in exchange for equity in the business.
The Carbon Trust Green Business Fund
The Carbon Trust is launching a new fund providing vital capital for smaller businesses to replace old, power-guzzling equipment, together with expert advice to boost the efficiency and productivity of businesses in England, Scotland and Wales.
Angels Den
Find smart angel investors who provide the expertise and introductions businesses need to succeed.
After being matched with a lead investor, businesses you can open the funding up to a network of 13,000 angel investors using an online platform.
Crowdcube
Crowdcube is the world’s leading investment crowdfunding platform. Enabling anyone to invest alongside professional investors in start-up, early stage and growth businesses through equity and debt investment options.
More than 5,000 people have already sought support from the new virtual business service which operates alongside a dedicated business support line at 0345 6000 727.
And Chairman of the Marches Growth Hub, Paul Hinkins, says the number is expected to rise as more business support services are added to the website.
“The virtual hub is a single point of access to all business support on offer across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. It was created to streamline information about support on offer and remove confusion about the products and services available.
“Our hub features a Support Finder tool, which allows businesses to search for support relevant to them, by their business size, sector or location. It gives busy business owners the information they need with the click of a mouse.
“We’ve seen new products and schemes come on stream in recent weeks, and with more than 120 listings now on the website, I’d urge businesses to keep coming back to see what’s new and also to sign up for our hub newsletter.”
The Marches Growth Hub is an initiative delivered by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership aligned with the national BusinessisGREAT campaign.
The LEP also supported the creation of the three hub sites working with its partners Herefordshire Council, Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council.
The University of Wolverhampton is also a partner of the hubs in Hereford and Telford, with the former at the university’s Business Solution Centre at Skylon Park. The hub in Telford is on its Priorslee campus.
The hub in Shrewsbury is co-located with Shropshire Chamber of Commerce at the Food Enterprise Centre in Battlefield.
