Almost half a million UK start-ups launched in first six months of 2023

More than 430,000 new start-ups have already been launched and registered with Companies House this year, new Enterprise Nation analysis shows.

The Enterprise Nation Start-up Tracker dynamically tracks new companies and it found that 431,060 UK businesses were registered in the first six months of 2023. In June alone, there were 78,997 companies.

The surge in start-ups reflects an ongoing trend. 784,762 businesses were registered at Companies House in 2022 which is almost 30,000 more than in 2021 and 114,000 more than those recorded annually pre-pandemic. In 2019, 670,575 businesses were registered.

Emma Jones, CBE, founder of Enterprise Nation, said:

"We know from our own research that a third of all UK adults were thinking about starting a business at some point this year, so it's interesting to see how that is literally taking shape.

"What those individuals need to do now is to get the right kind of support to help them efficiently achieve what they set out to do, and that is often to share their knowledge, add value to their communities and use their talent to bring in more cash."

StartUp UK, a programme developed by Enterprise Nation and Monzo Business, is already helping many start-ups develop key business skills in their own time, online.

So far this year the free programme has reached 165,000 small business owners with its webinars, e-learning modules and support.

Jordan Shwide, head of Monzo Business, said:

"We’re really proud to be working with Enterprise Nation’s StartUp UK programme, helping businesses across the UK to grow and thrive with specialist support. Start-ups and small businesses are at the heart of the nation’s creativity and growth, and with one in 20 businesses now banking with Monzo, we're lucky enough to see this in action every day."

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Successful start-up case studies

York-based side hustler Ryan Willis created his own 'outdoor escape room' called Openworld Quests in an attempt to make his home city accessible and more appealing to a wider audience.

But while he knew a lot about the gaming industry, his broader business skills were more limited. He said:

"I want to make the Openworld Quest games as good as they can be, and to make more of them.

"I've had a lot of really useful advice and guidance as a result of being involved in the StartUp UK programme and I'm hoping to continue to learn from peers and mentors to ultimately scale my business into something that can support itself and me moving forward.”

Hornchurch-based former bodybuilder Katie Truscott-Howell launched her macro meal delivery service Katie's Life Kitchen following a lifetime of struggles with painful Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), Coeliac and Crohn's Disease. She said:

"Being a competitive bodybuilder, I decided to complete my degree in nutrition and launch Katie's Life Kitchen to help others who were on the same journey as me. I wanted to support them from an IBD standpoint and from a physical activity standpoint as well.

"Now that I'm in remission, I want to help as many people as possible get to the same point and I believe I can do that as quickly as possible. Quality of life is everything and there's nothing more fulfilling than hearing extremely positive feedback from my clients who are now flourishing.

"Macro meal plans are hard to come by and finding a company that offers accurate and tailored macro meals is difficult. Again, it's something I wish existed when I was competing!"

She added:

"I initially joined the StartUp Saturday event in London to better understand how to grow my e-commerce business and to meet like-minded people. The advice provided was excellent and incredibly motivating.

"I've implemented a structured marketing strategy since and stayed connected with people I met at the show. A few of whom I can eventually work with on a marketing level too, which is so exciting!

"I really wanted to use this programme for further insight and to meet new like-minded people, both of which I achieved. I'll continue to support the programme by attending events, workshops and webinars. I even met a few investors at the event who I'm now in contact with, which is thrilling.

"Running a small business is hard – you have to wear so many different hats on a daily basis. It's really important to put yourself out there, meet new people who can open new doors and support you, and even make new friends who have the same ideas as you.

"I'd highly recommend supporting the programme for new ideas, inspiration, motivation and new connections."

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