Member Article

North East startup delegation in Downing Street visit

A delegation of North East startups are today heading to Downing Street to help shape policies to increase entrepreneurship and bolster job creation in the region.

The visit, organised in conjunction with startup assistance organisation Enterprise Nation, aims to help shape new policies for startup entrepreneurs and talk about incentives such as grants or tax breaks for companies generating jobs in the North East.

Andy Stephenson, founder of children’s activity box startup Weekend Box Club, is amongst those heading to the capital.

Weekend Box create activity boxes for children aged 3-8 and deliver them through the post. Andy founded the company three years ago whilst looking for gift ideas for his nieces and nephews: not finding anything engaging enough he quit his job and started Weekend Box.

The creative entrepreneur, who this year expects to ship over a quarter of a million boxes, commented: “UK Plc is built on SMEs like Weekend Box who are part of a new generation of rapidly growing companies helping to create the innovative products of tomorrow.

“Rapid growth can be fuelled faster with incentives for job creation and a focus on simplifying red tape for entrepreneurs - that’s what we’re looking to achieve at Downing Street.”