ENTREPRENEURS NEWS | IN BRIEF
BRANDS OF TOMORROW COMPETITION
Walpole, the British trade body for the luxury industry, has launched a competition to find Britain’s brand of tomorrow. The prize is mentoring from the people behind Britain’s top luxury brands, including Liberty and Smythson. To be eligible, companies need an annual turnover between £100,000 and £2m per year. Visit www.thewalpole.co.uk for further information and an application form. Applications closes next Friday on 18 February 2011.
BUSINESSES LOOKING TO GROW
One in four business entrepreneurs interviewed by Investec Specialist Private Bank will be turning to private equity and venture capitalists to raise capital in 2011. Many entrepreneurs are clearly looking to grow their businesses this year, with 44 per cent expecting to launch new ventures and a further 31 per cent believing that it is “quite likely” that they will do this. Investec are looking to lend £1bn to these entrepreneurs this year.
FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS TO DOUBLE
Female entrepreneurs are to double over the next thirty years, says the Avon Inspiring Young Women report. The research conducted by the London School of Economics interviewed women aged between 16-24 years old to see how the next generation’s women felt about entrepreneurship. Almost three-quarters (72 per cent) said starting their own business and being their own boss appealed to them and two-thirds (60 per cent) expressed interest in doing so.