A discretionary fund has been set up to accommodate certain small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme. The Business Secretary Alok Sharma and Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, Simon Clarke spoke to local authorities in England yesterday to set out that up to £617 million would be made […]
New 100% government backed loan scheme for small business businesses will be able to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000 and access the cash within days loans will be interest free for the first 12 months, and businesses can apply online through a short and simple form Small businesses will benefit from a new fast-track finance […]
One of the UK’s largest online pet stores based in Stratford-upon-Avon has tripled its workforce to cope with a rising demand from animal owners across the UK during Covid-19. PetShop.co.uk stocks over 10,000 products including top brands like Iams, Felix Cat food, James Wellbeloved & Hills Science Plan dog food from its 40,000 sq ft […]
The established premier pitching competition of the West Midlands is back with a new name – Minerva Birmingham Pitch Up – and is inviting ambitious business owners and potential investors from West Midlands to register for an introductory webinar on Wednesday 29th April. Minerva Birmingham Pitch Up is a pitching competition that […]
Government’s furlough scheme opens for applications today – 10 days ahead of schedule employers can now go online to claim cash grants worth up to 80% of wages, capped at £2,500 a month per worker 5000 HMRC staff will operate the scheme – which is expected to help thousands of firms across the UK The […]
Three programmes, aimed at supporting small and medium sized business in Coventry and Warwickshire, have been extended until June 2023 and provided with additional funding. The three programmes, entitled Business Support, Green Business and Innovation respectively, have been running since 2016 and initially were planned to run until the end of 2021. However, the Council, […]
A specialist laboratory in Coventry which has won new contracts and extended its workforce after investing in a state-of-the-art instrument is planning to target more world-wide business. Exeter Analytical, based at the Venture Centre at the University of Warwick Science Park in Canley, provides an analysis service for quality control testing for household names in […]
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has announced it is making up to £20 million available for technology projects to support national resilience. The money – with grants of up to £50,000 per project – will be made available through a competition run by national innovation agency Innovate UK. It will be open to […]
The Government has made several amendments to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which was first announced by Chancellor, Rishi Sunak on 20 March. The scheme reimburses up to 80 per cent of the wage costs (capped at £2,500 per month) of a ‘furloughed worker’ – an employee remaining on the payroll, but not carrying […]
Due to current government guidance and uncertainty concerning Covid-19; the difficult decision has been made to postpone Venturefest WM 2020 and the Minerva Birmingham PitchUp final until January 2021. Organisers provisionally plan to stage the full Venturefest WM event on Thursday, 28 Jan 2021 at a central Birmingham location. Additional engagement event activity will be […]