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The start-up landscape: What lies ahead in 2025 

According to research by Enterprise Nation, almost half of UK adults are considering setting up their own business in 2025.

But the budding entrepreneurs of today face a markedly different landscape to their predecessors.

Some things, of course, never change in the start-up space. 

Hard work, perseverance, careful planning and resilience are as valuable as they have always been. 

But there’s no doubt the shape and structure of the business world is changing, and the skillset required to build a sustainable enterprise is evolving at pace.

A younger person’s game

Research has shown it is younger professionals – Gen Z and Millennials – who are contemplating a future away from the steady pay cheque of employment. 

In fact, 62 per cent of 18 to 30 year-olds, and 51 per cent of 31 to 40 year-olds, have expressed an appetite to form their own enterprise.

In many ways, this shouldn’t be surprising. 

Thanks to digital transformation of all aspects of our lives, new modes of working have given greater flexibility and more opportunity than ever before. 

At TEDCO, we’re also moving with the times.

As modern organisations take on new guises, business support has had to adapt to provide the advice and guidance needed for those launching their own business for the first time.

Harnessing artificial intelligence

There’s little doubt artificial intelligence is a game-changing tool for enhancing business support. 

Indeed, at TEDCO, we use it to streamline processes such as research, business planning, marketing and administration.

However, artificial intelligence is not a replacement for human connection. 

While online learning platforms and artificial intelligence tools provide valuable assistance, they cannot replicate the confidence and self-belief instilled through human interaction. 

Business support programmes in 2025 and beyond

From April 2025, there will be an extension of UK Shared Prosperity Fund support for one year through to March 2026. 

This transitional year brings opportunity for more joined up and collaborative support to be made available. 

Beyond March 2026, the picture isn’t quite as clear, but I believe we can expect the introduction of longer term programmes being made available, which will bring in a stable and consistent offering across the whole of the North East.

Despite the incredible entrepreneurial spirit in our region, the North East’s business birth rate remains lower than the UK national average. 

This is our call to action. 

We must collectively do more: push harder, take more risks and embrace the mindset of failing fast and learning quickly. 

Entrepreneurship is not just for the few; it’s an opportunity for anyone willing to take a chance on themselves and their ideas. 

Now is the time for the North East to back itself, to be bold and to create the businesses that will shape our future.

James Craft is chief executive of TEDCO Business Support

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