Your weekly summary of entrepreneurship news, comment, and features. Sent by the Centre for Entrepreneurs (home of StartUp Britain). Sign up here. Read the original newsletter here.
News
Sadiq Khan becomes London mayor and promises to become “most pro-business yet”
Real Business: Labour MP Sadiq Khan has become London Mayor with commitments to set up a business advisory board, tackle the skills gap by creating a Skills for Londoners scheme, and prevent business space losses. Read more
Some 23% of UK tech entrepreneurs want to list on AIM
TechCityNews: Some 23% of UK tech entrepreneurs are pursuing an AIM listing as their planned exit strategy, according to new polling by Nabarro. Read more
Deliveroo begins investing in kitchen space to bring more restaurants to your area
Techcrunch: Deliveroo, the on-demand delivery service for restaurant food, has launched RooBox – an off-site kitchen initiative that is bringing restaurant brands to areas of London that have a large residential population but are underserved by restaurants. Read more
UK small businesses to benefit from new Enterprise Act
Startups.co.uk: The Enterprise Act has now become law and includes measures such as:
- introducing a small business commissioner to help smaller companies resolve late payment disputes;
- extending the Primary Authority scheme to make tailored business advice more accessible from local authorities;
- reducing red tape by £10bn over the next five years;
- establishing an Institute for Apprenticeships.
Asos and Telefonica’s Wayra launch fashion tech startup accelerator
TechCityNews: Fashion tech startups have until 23rd May to apply to a new accelerator launched by Asos and Wayra. The eight week programme is offering £34,000 in direct investment, dedicated acceleration services, intensive mentoring and office space to select number of innovative startups in the fashion sector. Read more
Peer-to-peer securitisation has arrived with “landmark” crowdfunding deal
CityAM: Securitisation has arrived in the peer-to-peer market, with lending platform Funding Circle announcing a “landmark transaction”. The European Investment Fund, part of the European Investment Bang Group and KfW, a German government-backed bank, are investing in the securitisation of loans originated on the crowdfunding platform. Read more
Opinion
Why founders need a certain degree of delusion
Ben Fletcher (chairman, Growth Builder): It takes more than a good idea and hard work to stand a chance at success. A business needs a confident leader with a strong mindset, which often includes just the right amount of delusion. Read more
Government must hit 2016 deadline to punish late payers and back SMEs
New reporting requirements tackling late payment due to come in last month will not be enforced until October. If the government is to be taken seriously as one that is genuinely supportive of small business, this has to happen, writes Henning Holter (head of global business development, Tungsten Network). Read more
- Related: Australian model for payment disputes could help small UK suppliers (The Guardian)
Lessons from Leicester City’s fairytale season that apply to business
Entrepreneurs should draw lessons from all walks of life to improve their business ambitions, and that includes the football pitches of the Premier League, writes Charlie Mullins (founder, Pimlico Plumbers). Read more
Britain’s Flat White Economy takes off but success is not assured
To stimulate a Flat White Economy you need high quality connectivity and a lively cultural scene, writes Doulgas McWilliams (president, CEBR). Read more
How corporate accelerators can better serve startups
The recent explosion of accelerator programmes has naturally benefited the startup community, but there is growing scepticism among startups around the value offered by corporate accelerators, writes Stuart Marks (chairman, L Marks) as he outlines how to avoid the common traps. Read more
More universities need to teach sales
For decades, sales and academic remained worlds apart and the business world did fine. But sales is changing, academic is out of touch, and this is bad for business and academia, write Frank Cespedes (senior lecturer, Harvard Business School) and Daniel Weinfurter (lecturer, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management). Read more
Features
Lehman Brothers lives on with a crop of entrepreneurs
FT: The bank’s entrepreneurial culture survives through its former staff. Read more