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
- Uber drivers are NOT self-employed, says employment tribunal (CityAM)
Uber drivers are entitled to basic workers’ rights, an employment tribunal has announced in a landmark legal case. - Small businesses refused loans by banks will be offered second chance (Mail Online)
From Tuesday, small businesses refused loans from nine of the largest banks will have the opportunity to have their applications passed to alternative finance providers. An estimated 100,000 SME loans worth £4bn are declined by banks each year. - 18-24 year-old entrepreneurs stymied by lack of finance, skills and contacts (startups.co.uk)
While 33% of 18-24 year-olds have started or are considering starting a business, 50% say they have been hampered in their efforts, according to polling by the New Entrepreneurs Foundation. - New platform Allbright launched to boost British women founders (Elite Business)
Debbie Wosskow (Love Home Swap) and Anna Jones (Hearst UK) have launched a new funding platform that aims to discover, fund and support the UK’s best women entrepreneurs.
Opinion
- Giving Uber drivers “worker” status is bad news for passengers, the gig economy and drivers themselves (Sam Dumitriu, head of projects, Adam Smith Institute)
- Reaction to Airbnb shows London is still a friend to innovation (Rohan Silva, co-founder, Second Home)
- Why are immigrants more entrepreneurial? (Peter Vandore, senior researcher, Social Entrepreneurship Centre, WU Vienna and Nikolaus Franke, prof of entrepreneurship and innovation, WU Vienna)
- Britain’s tech sector is a world leader – and its future is brighter than ever (Greg Hands MP, international trade minister)
- Can “brand Britain” propel UK entrepreneurs to post-Brexit success? (Trever Clawson, contributor, Forbes)