Funding hubs to launch in Yorkshire
A NEW body to help small firms and social enterprises raise finance is launching in Yorkshire.
The first Venture Funding Hubs were launched at the House of Commons on Monday where it was announced that Sheffield and Manchester will be the first locations, with Hull to follow.
The brainchild of The Social Foundation, a social enterprise lauunched by entrepreneur and crowd-funding expert Barry James, Funding Hubs aim to connect local entrepreneurs with experts who can help signpost them to different forms of financing as well as inspire and empower them so helping to build local economies.
After Manchester and Sheffield hubs will be rolled out in Hull, Liverpool, Leicester, Glasgow, and Cambridge.
Mr James said: “We are delighted that Manchester is joining Sheffield in leading the way with Venture Funding hubs across the north of England. Manchester co-founders Chris Moss, Martin Manning of TheSwotTeam, and Anne Strachan of CrowdfundUK, whose collective enthusiasm is infectious, have helped greatly in refining a model with which we hope to help reinvigorate towns and cities across the UK.”
The Venture Funding Hub project has been backed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Barry Sheerman MP who is Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Crowdfunding and non-banking finance.
