Member Article

Number of Newcastle startups in 2016 tops 825 as StartUp Bus comes to town

New figures released today by Natwest’s StartUp Britain initiative provide an insight into Newcastle’s thriving startup scene.

In total 825 startups have been founded in the city in the first five months of this year, which compares favourably with the 1,931 new businesses who were set up in 2015, highlighting that Newcastle’s entrepreneurs seemed to have been undettered by uncertainty surrounding the EU Referendum.

The figures were released to coincide with the campaign’s summer tour parking up on Grainger Street between 10am and 4.30pm this Monday.

Backed by the likes of crowdfunding platform Seedrs, Plan Digital UK and If We Can You Can, the initiative aims to inspire and support budding entrepreneurs across the UK, with Newcastle the tenth destination for Natwest’s StartUp bus.

Natwest’s campaign is now in its fifth year and is planning on visiting 30 towns and cities in a six week period this summer, more than any previous year.

Commenting on the scheme’s growth, Matt Smith, director of StartUp Britain, commented: “The fact we are now visiting more locations than ever before clearly shows how far Britain’s entrepreneurial spirit spreads.

“What’s more, as we travel from place to place we will gain more experience, and more inspiration to pass on to the next city. Certainly, the StartUp Britain bus tour is a great way to come face-to- face with some of Britain’s most innovative individuals.”

Visitors to the bus will be able to speak to professional businesses advisors and mentors, obtain financial advice as well as get inspiration from some local entrepreneurs and business people.