MANAGED workspace provider Regus today announced plans to provide £20m-worth of assistance to young entrepreneurs.
The group, which provides managed office workspace in Liverpool’s Exchange Flags, is giving up to 30,000 young entrepreneurs across England access to its global network of business lounges and administrative support.
The initiative is aimed at giving a tangible boost to young entrepreneurs who are starting up in business and the £20m package complements the Government’s £82.5m StartUp Loans scheme which will provide mentoring support and around £2,500 to approved young people looking to set up a new business.
Regus will offer young entrepreneurs six months free and unlimited use of its virtual office, a network of business lounges in more than 1,200 business centres worldwide, including 160 in the UK; a business address in a recognised business location; mail handling and call answering facilities; and discounts on all other Regus products and services.
The scheme is being chaired by BBC TV Dragons’ Den star James Caan and has been welcome by Prime Minister David Cameron.
He said: “Regus’ support for Startup Loans is a fantastic example of an established and successful company reaching out to help nurture the next generation of British businesses.
“As a Government we also have buildings at our disposal and I am determined that, where we can, we make unused space available to aspiring entrepreneurs to build and grow their businesses.
“We recently announced that 20 empty Government buildings will become spaces available for start-up businesses and this work continues.”
Steve Purdy, Regus UK managing director, added: “When the StartUp Loans scheme was announced it was immediately clear that this was an initiative that Regus should actively support.
“We believe businesses should be investing in the next generation of British entrepreneurs and the future of British business. Rather than moaning from the sidelines about what more the Government should do to stimulate growth, we believe it is time business offered some meaningful support – we hope others will follow suit.”
Interested entrepreneurs should visit www.startuploans.co.uk or www.regus.co.uk for more information.
