From lightbulb moment to making the first sale, what do small businesses need in order to grow?
Fostering an environment that will allow UK-based businesses to flourish will be the focus of a discussion held at the Guardian offices, and featuring leading entrepreneurs and innovators.
It is an exciting time for British business – but is a media focus on technology companies detrimental to the growth prospects of the huge variety of firms across all sectors?
With the latest IPOs valuing new technology companies in ten figures, hopes for the growth of the British economy often appear to be centred around the UK’s tech hubs.
But elsewhere, innovations abound across all sectors. In 2004, graphene – a material touted to transform everything from electronics to plane
journeys – was produced for the first time in the University of Manchester.
In an east London lab, over two years an art graduate developed a material which has been dubbed the new blu tac.
Over in Cornwall a group of weekend surfers and weekday engineers are developing the first humanoid robots which will wander around homes. While in Sheffield a company is revolutionising how clothes will be washed in the laundry.
A vast range of innovative companies exist in Britain today, both inside and outside the tech sector. But what is really needed for them to grow? How can we nurture them to improve their future prospects?
Is the tech roundabout in London a PR stunt, or will it become a petri dish for the cultivation of future behemoths?
These questions and others will be addressed at the February event, run by the Guardian and sponsored by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses.
- When: Tuesday 17 February, 09:00 – 12:30
- Where: Guardian Head Office, Kings Cross
This event is now full. If you would like to be the first to hear about future events please sign up to the Guardian Small Business Network here.
