Yorkshire business support programme provides over £1m in grant funding
A Yorkshire business support programme has provided more than a million pounds in grant funding since its launch.
AD:VENTURE,
which helps ambitious new businesses trading for less than three years in North
and West Yorkshire, has provided over £1.3m of funding to start-up firms and
helped create 391 jobs.
Since the
programme started at the end of 2016, AD:VENTURE has helped more than 3000
businesses and individuals in the Leeds City Region, and approved 156 grants to
help start-up businesses to grow, including support for purchasing vital
equipment and moving to suitable premises.
Partners of
AD:VENTURE include the region’s nine local authorities, the Business Enterprise
Fund and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, with businesses also
able to access academic input through programmes delivered by higher education
partners, Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Trinity University.
The
programme has also supported 826 people aged 18 to 30 through its Explore
Enterprise Course, run in partnership with The Prince’s Trust.
Roger Marsh
OBE DL, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and NP11,
said: “Programmes like AD:VENTURE help start-up businesses to speed up their
growth, and that leads to a stronger economy.
“We have
some fantastic new businesses in this region and these figures show that with
the right support provided at the right time, start-ups can go from strength to
strength.”
One of the
businesses benefiting from the programme is Halifax-based Candle Digital, an
online learning platform for training providers. The team worked with an
AD:VENTURE advisor who helped them to target the right people that could
benefit from their service.
Mark
Langdale, director of Candle Digital, said: “We can’t recommend AD:VENTURE
enough. The business support we have received is far beyond anything we could
ever have expected.”
“We would
suggest to any start-up business that they investigate the advice, guidance and
sessions that are on offer and make the most of them.”
Power Sheds,
a shed manufacturer based in Bradford, have also seen the benefits of accessing
AD:VENTURE grant funding, which was used to help purchase an automated saw. The
equipment measures the timber to the correct length allowing it to be cut very
quickly and reduces waste.
The new
equipment means that Power Sheds are on target to triple their size within the
next year, with plans to expand into Europe. Jack Sutcliffe, director of Power
Sheds, says the support they have had from AD:VENTURE has played a big part in
the company’s rapid growth.
“They’ll
happily come out and see you and are always available to give you advice on
anything that you might need. They’ve also advised us on where to go for other
funding and put us in contact with lots of different people who might be able
to help us.”
AD:VENTURE is
a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) match funded programme which offers
grant funding, mentoring and business development advice to pre-start,
young and new firms with growth potential in the Leeds City Region. The
programme also runs free
events tailored to new businesses and offers support to young people who
are keen to develop entrepreneurial skills.
For more
information on AD:VENTURE go to https://ad-venture.org.uk.