Sheffield start-ups get funding boost

New and start-up businesses in the Sheffield area are to have access to improved business funding.

According to Yorkshire Business Insider, up to 50 small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the city will benefit from a new loan scheme backed by Sheffield City Council through its Keep Sheffield Working Fund.

Loans

The loans will range from £5,000 to £25,000, offering interest rates of 10-15%.  The pot of up to £1million has been created from investments from the Keep Sheffield Working Fund, Creative Sheffield and Donbac Ltd.

Councillor Leigh Bramall, Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Development at Sheffield City Council, says: “Two key priorities for the council are to be business-friendly and to focus on jobs.

“Initiatives of this sort demonstrate our long-term commitment to support our small businesses and generate sustainable economic growth. We are delighted to be partnering with Donbac to provide finance opportunities for Sheffield firms.”

A boost for start-ups and SMEs

The Keep Sheffield Working fund was set up in May 2012 to focus on enterprise, export and skills – three areas key to growing the local economy.

Other recent projects implemented to support businesses in Sheffield include:

• a start-up loan programme for 18-30 year olds looking to start up in business
• an apprenticeship programme. This has supported businesses to take on over 150 apprentices and boost skills in the city
• retail investment in Chapel Walk.

Commercial premises

At Bizspace our aim is to provide the ideal flexible workspace for both start-up businesses and those which are looking to expand into larger accommodation.

We have a number of business centres throughout the Sheffield area, providing a variety of business accommodation and services. This includes offices, industrial units, workshops, studios, meeting rooms, virtual offices and mailboxes.

We also have some fantastic special offers for start-ups, as well as resources to help fledgling firms hit the ground running.

Our nearby business centres are located at:

• Sheffield – Baltic Works
• Sheffield – Cricket Inn Industrial Estate 
• Sheffield – Dinnington Business Centre 
• Barnsley – Oaks Business Park
• Wath-Upon-Dearne – Silkstone House 
• Wath-Upon-Dearne – Manvers House 
• Rotherham – Bradmarsh Business Park