Member Article

Businesses growing 'exponentially' at Newcastle's Entrepreneurial Spark hub

Newcastle’s Entrepreneurial Spark hub, Powered by NatWest, has been praised for its impact on boosting entrepreneurs since expanding to the city.

The programme’s annual report for 2016, which was released today, showed how businesses operating in the free accelerator have reached a collective turnover exceeding the £3m mark.

Since opening the Newcastle hub at Trinity Gardens in October last year, Entrepreneurial Spark has helped 77 local businesses attract more than £800k of investment and create 63 new jobs.

Working shoulder to shoulder in the hub are the Entrepreneurial Spark Enablers Clare Martin and Melissa Beckett and NatWest Entrepreneur Development Manager, Carl Haagensen.

Carl Haagensen, Entrepreneur Development Manger at NatWest, said: “The figures for our Newcastle hub show just how much of a footprint Entrepreneurial Spark is having in Newcastle and the wider North East economy.

“We are very proud of all of our entrepreneurs and their commitment to the programme which is enabling them to create jobs, secure investment and support their local economies.”

Lizzy Hodcroft owner and founder of The Sweet Beet, which produces street food flavours and ingredient pairings, says she has significantly grown in confidence since joining Entrepreneurial Spark.

Lizzy said: “I’ve grown exponentially. I came into the programme believing in my idea but with no real idea of how to make it happen. I didn’t understand business and was certainly wearing blinkers that protected me from what I didn’t want to see.

“Now I take complete responsibility for the decisions I make and can see the broader picture of the goals of my business.”

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