- All-year-round case study initiative is launched at 2016 Growth Investor Awards ceremony
- The Growth Investor Awards campaign video showcases the entrepreneurs and industry figures helping to put UK SMEs on the map
Following the success of the 2016 Growth Investor Awards, Intelligent Partnership is launching a new all-year-round initiative. ‘100 Stories of Growth Capital at Work in the UK’ will gather case studies where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have received venture capital funding, and demonstrate the impact made by that funding in terms of economic impact, employment growth and regional expansion.
Guy Tolhurst, Managing Director of Intelligent Partnership, announced the pledge in his speech introducing the awards, held on 3rd November at the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel, Mayfair. Guy called on those attending the award ceremony to help support the campaign by providing case studies that demonstrate the value of venture capital schemes, such as Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS).
During his speech, Guy introduced the Growth Investor Awards 2016 Campaign Video, which showcased some of the finalists in the Growth Champion of the Year category, revealed some of the statistics around how much has been invested in SMEs as well as comments from leading industry figures such as Irene Graham, CEO of the Scaleup Institute and Luke Johnson, founder of Risk Capital Partners and The Centre for Entrepreneurs. The Campaign Video can be viewed here.
Commenting on the initiative, Guy added: “We want to make this the most comprehensive ongoing study of the impact beyond investment made by venture capital. This will be a year-round commitment dedicated to demonstrating how venture capital is benefiting small businesses, and making the case for continued support for the entire industry.
“At a time when the UK has to find its own path towards economic prosperity, we want to make sure these schemes are given the environment that will allow them to flourish, and enable more SMEs to benefit from them. We need the UK to continue to be the best place to start and scale a business. We also need to keep attracting the very best talent to the UK.”
Speaking at the 2016 Growth Awards, Iain Wright, MP for Hartlepool and Chairman of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee, said: “Venture capital initiatives should not be tinkered with, but instead widely promoted and become a truly stable if not permanent part of the access to finance ecosystem.”
Daniel Kiernan, Intelligent Partnership’s Research Director, said: “The discussions we’ve had with MPs and members of the Treasury have confirmed how supportive government is of venture capital schemes. But they need evidence, in the form of case studies, which will allow them to do more. We now want to show them growth capital being put at work, across different companies, sectors and industries. This level of granularity will help spark debate and capture the attention of policymakers, as well as spreading enthusiasm among entrepreneurs and across the venture capital industry.”
Watch the Growth Investor Awards 2016 Campaign Video here.