We all know that small and start up businesses are part of the life blood of our economy and a key driver in growth. However, as well as talking about how government policy can support new businesses I wanted us to use the Conservative Party Conference this year to really showcase the talent, drive and diversity of the start up businesses sector.
So this party conference sees the launch of a unique initiative to promote hungry new businesses through our Start-up Hub competition. I first proposed this idea at a discussion breakfast on the creative industries, organised by Conservative Business Relations earlier in the year. Thanks to the support for this from their Chairman Alan Lewis and his team we are giving nine businesses that have launched since May 2010 the chance to exhibit at the conference. You can visit them at the Start-Up Hub, which is located at stands 4 to 7 in the main conference exhibition hall. Three different businesses will be exhibiting on each of the first three days of the conference, and they were selected following a national competition. I would also like to thank the three supporting businesses for the Start-up Hub, Barclays, BlackBerry and Fujitsu.
The nine finalists are drawn from across the UK, from Glasgow to Gloucestershire and Nottingham to Notting Hill. A number of the businesses represent important growth sectors for the economy; particular green technology, digital and creative industries and advanced engineering. The Birmingham based Caribbean Catering Company also provides training to help get young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into work.
You can vote for your favourite business through the conference app, and you can find out more about this and the competition online at www.conservatives.com
The Government has already improved conditions for new businesses and entrepreneurs by cutting corporation tax and scrapping burdensome regulations. What the Start-Up Hub will do is give these entrepreneurs a tremendous opportunity to market their products to thousands of delegates, the national media and business leaders from the across the UK. I hope that the opportunity to present themselves at the Party conference is good for all of the businesses involved.
I have listed below the nine finalists for the Start-up Hub, please do look them up.
British Alpaca Company: Based near Binfield in the Maidenhead constituency, Britain’s first organic home grown alpaca textile manufacturer.
Smiley Talk: Based at Llantrisant near Cardiff, a 100% safe online community for schools and children.
Integrated Operation Solutions: Based in Manchester, provides IT systems and consultancy for charities and small businesses.
VDU Publishing: Based in Glasgow, an independent e-book publisher.
Versarian: Based in Cinderford, Gloucestershire produces micro-porous metals used in the semi-conductor and solar energy sectors.
Peelable Posters: Based in Nottingham, manufacture peelable, re-usable posters.
Caribbean Catering Academy: Based in Birmingham, catering company providing training for disadvantaged young people.
Build a Brand: Based near Ladbroke Grove in London, an online one stop shop for creating brand identities.
OE Systems: Based at Streetly in the West Midlands, provides portable ‘power on the go’ systems for businesses.