Connect Yorkshire based in Leeds is celebrating a decade of helping small to medium sized businesses raise funds to unlock their full potential.
The company is a not-for-profit organisation which has received more than £45 million of investment for during the last ten years.
Connect Yorkshire is mainly funded by sponsors which include: Baker Tilly, NatWest and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to name a few. Nick Butler, Chief executive said, “We have superb working relationships and key contacts with many of the UK’s main blue chip organisations across the professional services sector; we will be looking increasingly to develop these relationships as we continue to grow and expand our services.” Yorkshire Forward, a Regional Development Agency (RDA) responsible for economic development in the Yorkshire region also helps fund the not-for-profit organisation.
Businesses eligible for investment through Connect Yorkshire include:
Eligible businesses will be entitled to attend a range of seminars and workshops to aid their growth potential. These include:
Once a business has secured the investment via Connect Yorkshire, the business can use the money for anything that it desires, from a commercial property lease to flyers for the grand opening. Mr Butler, stated, “We feel more than ever companies – which may have superb ideas but can lack the necessary commercial knowledge or specialist expertise needed to grow their businesses – need help in the key areas of commerce such as drawing up business plans, being coached for presenting to investors or legal advice.“
It is clear the connect Yorkshire has helped many businesses over the last ten years turn great ideas into and actual establish business where they have an office or commercial property in Yorkshire to run the business from. Richard Doyle, Chairman of Connect Yorkshire expressed, “Our success has proved that there is a much needed role to span the private and public sector and provide high growth companies with unbiased advice and access to specialist expertise and investors. The SME is the lifeblood of the economy and it is a very important role – and a privilege – to be able to help them prosper and grow.”
The not-for-profit organisation has done better than it ever thought, as it has exceeded its target number of businesses by 150 per cent. Speaking of the achievement Mr Butler said, “We fashioned the operation on a model in San Diego that had an excellent track record and which in turn has proved very successful here.“
