Buckinghamshire Council partners with Enterprise Nation to launch StartUp Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire Council has teamed up with the UK’s leading business support provider to develop a comprehensive programme of support and investment to help the county’s entrepreneurs to ignite their ideas and flourish in 2024.

The council has partnered with Enterprise Nation and youth charity Launch It to deliver a broad range of overlapping support to power up a generation of talented self-starters bursting with enterprising ideas.

The free intensive programme will be open to founders hoping to start up, as well as businesses in the first 12 months of starting their enterprise. It will also deliver cash grants to five growing businesses as part of the programme.

StartUp Buckinghamshire will deliver an online resource hub with e-learning modules covering everything from social media and cash flow to building a team and finding investment. There will also be a 12-week bootcamp aimed at supporting the growing number of young entrepreneurs.

It will also feature daily online events and enable connections to trusted advisers and mentors. The programme is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

According to research, a third of all adults expect to start a business as part of their career path, with that figure rising to almost half (48%) among the 18 to 24 age group.

The programme will kick off in February with a launch event delivered as a StartUp Saturday event on Saturday 17 February hosted at Patch in Queen Victoria Road, High Wycombe, for anyone looking to become their own boss or boost their business skills.

Cllr Martin Tett, Buckinghamshire Council Leader, said:

"Buckinghamshire already has a strong entrepreneurial culture, with three in four firms employing fewer than five employees. It has always been a key focus to stimulate start-ups and encourage them to stay in the county, creating long term jobs and boosting the future economy.

"This programme with Enterprise Nation will allow us to really deliver an intense boost to the county’s start-up community, bringing more diverse businesses into the economy, creating jobs and long-term resilience."

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

"We are delighted to have been selected as a partner to deliver the StartUp Buckinghamshire programme to ensure that anyone who is thinking of becoming their own boss has access to relevant support.

"Enterprise Nation lives and breathes start-up support every day and we really admire the ambition of Buckinghamshire Council’s forward-thinking plans to boost the county’s economy. We look forward to working with all those starting a business or in the early stages in this brilliant entrepreneurial county."

ENDS

About Enterprise Nation

Enterprise Nation is a business support platform and provider delivering support to more than 800,000 small businesses every year. Its aim is to help people turn their good ideas into great businesses – through expert advice, events, acceleration support and networking.

Enterprise Nation was founded in 2005 by British entrepreneur Emma Jones CBE, also co-founder of national enterprise campaign StartUp Britain. She is the author of best-selling business books and is a frequently called-on and regular media commentator on a range of issues which affect the UK's growing number of SMEs.

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government's Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

About Launch It

Launch It is on a mission is to empower the next generation of business founders. Providing affordable workspace, mentoring and training, the charity supports 18 to 30-year-olds who are facing challenges, to start and grow a viable business. Launch It has supported over 11,600 young people to aim high and achieve their potential.