Entrepreneurial Spark's accelerator hub in Leeds generates over £5m of investment

Entrepreneurial Spark Powered by NatWest launched its annual impact report on Monday (February 20th).

The figures in the Entrepreneurial Spark Impact Report reveal how the Leeds hub continues to support entrepreneurs in the development of their businesses.

Since opening the hub in Leeds at Park Cross Street in August 2015, Entrepreneurial Spark has helped 142 businesses attract almost £5.5m of investment and create 254 new jobs.

The turnover generated by businesses in the Leeds hub was around £12.2m. Working in the hub are NatWest Entrepreneur Development Manager Melissa Hulme, and Entrepreneurial Spark Enablers Melinda O’Reilly and Natasha Babar-Evans.

Carolyn Pearson, CEO of Maiden Voyage which aims to make business travel both safe and social for women, has seen significant development in her business since joining Entrepreneurial Spark in 2015.

Turnover has increased 300% and the business has also won £13K in prize money. Its online community has risen from 8,000 to 11,000, and they’ve developed and brought to market a fantastic new e-learning solution

She said: “Prior to Entrepreneurial Spark, Maiden Voyage was run solely by the founder and a few freelancers but our involvement in the programme has resulted in us securing close to £500K investment. We have recruited an outstanding team of professionals, creating jobs, and have expanded our client base globally.”

Melisa Hulme, Entrepreneur Development Manager at NatWest, said: “The figures for our Leeds hub show just how much of a footprint Entrepreneurial Spark is having in Leeds and the wider Yorkshire 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.”

Entrepreneurial Spark helps businesses with key support from all its partners in NatWest, KPMG Enterprise, Dell Technologies and Pinsent Masons.

Entrepreneurial Spark recently created a new suite of programmes. This evolved model will provide specialised, bespoke enablement for entrepreneurs.

Lucy-Rose Walker, Entrepreneurial Spark CEO, said: “Our vision is to create positive social change by giving people the chance to grow and create jobs, and value in the economy. It’s really gratifying to see that those entrepreneurs have now created 3,152 jobs across the UK, all of them creating social change by contributing to their communities and local economies.

“Our partnership with NatWest is such a powerful one and enables us to give hands-on practical help to start-ups of every kind, from that first spark of an idea, right up to bigger businesses needing to scale and grow.

“We also love working with KPMG, Dell Technologies and Harper Macleod because as the experts in what they do they offer so much to our entrepreneurs.”

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