Press releases

Teamstart toasts success

A Warwick Science Park business creation programme, TeamStart, is celebrating five years of success.

Over sixty businesses are generating jobs and wealth across the region as a result of the University of Warwick Science Park's TeamStart activity. Involving a programme of business development training, mentoring and networking opportunities, TeamStart has developed and refined a proven methodology, which helps teams of like-minded entrepreneurs to start their own companies.

Neil Endley, Director of Industry Partner Limited, is unequivocal
regarding the programme's role in helping his business. Based in Leamington Spa and Redditch the company specialises in improving the business performance of manufacturing customers by providing cost effective process and sub assembly solutions.

Neil explains, "TeamStart has helped me at every stage of development. The facilities available give you instant credibility and the mentoring and advice has been fantastic." Neil should know. His company has a turnover of £1.2m and has just announced a merger with Sigma Q C Ltd-a major player in the supply chain development field.

TeamStart has helped business start-ups across most industry sectors. Hotelshop, a hotel-booking agency, is busy becoming the
UK's market leader.

Established in 1999 the company now employs 35 personnel in Droitwich Spa and has at any one time 350 special offers available to customers. Vivienne Hudson, Managing Director, comments, "TeamStart helped in producing a five-year business plan that we've followed. It was a great process- focusing our minds on the obstacles we were likely to encounter and how to overcome them."

Occasionally TeamStart, as well as providing training and support, has actually identified the product for a company to sell. Coventry based Opinionmeter supplies equipment that provides on-site customer feedback. The company has over 50 clients including 25 NHS Trusts. Director Jerry Marshall explains that being with a group of 'risk taking entrepreneurs' was, for him, one of the key elements of the programme. The company has so impressed the US manufacturers of Opinionmeter that Jerry's team has been invited to run the worldwide licence.

14/08/2003