StartUp Britain tour visits Exeter

Following a high-profile launch at Buckingham Palace as guests of the Duke of York, national enterprise campaign StartUp Britain will tomorrow (TUESDAY)  arrive in Exeter as part of a summer bus tour providing inspiration and support to thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs.

As an indicator of local entrepreneurial drive, new figures released by StartUp Britain for the tour show 363 new businesses were formed in Exeter in the first six months of 2016. This compares with 738 new businesses registered in the city throughout 2015.

Now in its fifth year, the StartUp Britain tour, powered by NatWest and sponsored by 123 Reg and .uk, is visiting 30 towns and cities in the space of six weeks, a record number for the campaign. Parking the bus in public squares and high streets, StartUp Britain recruits local entrepreneurs and experts to come on board and give free, impartial advice to anyone wanting to start or grow a business.

As one of the 30 stops, the bus will be parked in Princesshay from 10am - 4.30pm on Tuesday 19th July. Visitors to the bus will be able to:

• get inspiration and support from established local entrepreneurs;
• speak to a professional business mentor/coach from BIP West Devon;
• get business finance advice from NatWest;
• take the 123 Reg digital skills survey and trial its new digital online training platform;
• receive a free .uk domain and £100 discounts on the 123 Reg Website Builder

The bus’s visit to Exeter is supported by BIP West Devon, Exeter/Devon Library IP Centre, iy Community Ltd, Dot Advice, Seedrs, Denizen and others. It is also supported by national partners including The Prince’s Trust, Entrepreneurial Spark, UnLtd and the Intellectual Property Office. Exeter is the twenty-first stop on the tour – the bus is travelling on to Salisbury, Bristol and Birmingham.

Matt Smith, director of StartUp Britain, said: “The fact we are now visiting more locations than ever before clearly shows how far Britain’s entrepreneurial spirit spreads. What’s more, as we travel from place to place we will gain more experience, and more inspiration to pass on to the next city. Certainly, the StartUp Britain bus tour is a great way to come face-to- face with some of Britain’s most innovative individuals”.