PM David Cameron announced £34m allocated to The Start Up Loans Company
Start Up Loans, which celebrates its one-year anniversary later this month, has so far committed more than £40m to applicants, aged 18-30, and backed nearly 8,000 businesses.
The new funds will allow Start Up Loans to go further still in rolling out the scheme to those over 30, now that Government has removed the age cap, and also allow work to get underway on the wider pan-UK roll out of the programme, working closely with the Scottish and Welsh Government, following roll out of the scheme to Northern Ireland earlier this year.
To celebrate the success of the scheme thus far, 50 loan recipients have been invited today to a reception in Downing Street, with four of them displaying their businesses in an ‘enterprise showcase’.
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
"I am determined to do all I can to support the British economy and that
includes helping small businesses and budding entrepreneurs to get on. In
the last two years we have helped tens of thousands of people to turn their
ideas into a viable business, and this additional support will help thousands
more."
"My message is simple: if you have drive, determination and are prepared to
work hard, we will back you."
James Caan, Chairman of The Start Up Loans Company, said:
see the Prime Minister recognising the continued success of the Start Up
to enable many more budding entrepreneurs to receive start-up support. With
"It's great to
Loans programme by again, providing further funding to expand the initiative
the extra funding, I'm keen to see those over 30, former armed forces and
returning mothers to work embracing their entrepreneurial spirit, turning their
skills and passion into new businesses with the help of Start Up Loans."