More than 4,000 to attend startup event

Enterprise Nation

StartUp 2016, run by fast growth small business support group Enterprise Nation, will deliver a bite-sized boost to would be entrepreneurs at ten simultaneous events around the country.

The day-long expo will take over KPMG’s head office in Canary Wharf, London, with nine satellite events in Shrewsbury, Birmingham, Barnsley, Burton-upon-Trent, Horsham, Farnham, Swindon, Chiswick and Peterborough.

Research from national enterprise campaign StartUp Britain, unveiled this week, showed a record-breaking 608,110 businesses were registered in the UK in 2015 alone.  A trend that shows no sign of abating.

StartUp 2016 is a collaboration between Enterprise Nation and a set of high profile sponsors which will play an active role on the day.  These are HSBC, domain name firm 123 Reg, internet technology business Verisign, cloud-based accounting software company Xero and small business insurance provider, Direct Line for Business. Leading UK professional services firm KPMG is also a headline sponsor of the event.

Enterprise Nation founder Emma Jones said: “Every minute a business is started in Britain.  Becoming your own boss can be satisfying and rewarding on so many levels.  Last year more than half a million new companies were registered.

“This event is aimed at helping those with dreams of starting up to pick up practical advice, link up with like-minded individuals, get inspiration to help them give their new business the very best start.”

Bivek Sharma, Head of KPMG Small Business Accounting, said: “The KPMG Small Business Accounting team are delighted to be supporting Enterprise Nation with StartUp 2016. This truly is one of the biggest and most important events in the UK for small businesses. We are especially excited about hosting the event in our offices, and look forward to welcoming thousands of businesses on the day.”

Gary Turner, Xero Managing Director said: “We truly believe that small businesses are the lifeblood of the global economy, so Xero are really proud to be involved with StartUp 2016. It’s an excellent networking and learning learning initiative that is focused on boosting small business success.”

Richard Bearman, UK Director of Small Business at HSBC, said: “We are proud to support Startup 2016 and the work it is doing to help aspiring entrepreneurs get their business ideas off the ground and running. Small businesses are the backbone of the UK economy, and HSBC is passionate about supporting their ambitions and growth plans.”

Jazz Gakhal, Director of Direct Line for Business said: “Supporting small businesses plays a key role in our strategy so we are delighted to be working with Enterprise Nation again, and to be involved with StartUp 2016. We understand how challenging it can be when starting up a new business so this event will be the perfect start for anybody thinking of going it alone.”

The day will involve break-out zones and sessions that can be booked in advance.  These include Start Me Up – where entrepreneurs can register a firm and discuss financial arrangements, branding advice from the Build a Brand Zone, delegates can register a domain name in the Get Online Zone and find funding in the Show me the Money Zone. Those looking for advice in different disciplines can head to the Meet an Adviser Zone.

For more details visit www.enterprisenation.com/startup2016