A decade of backing business start-ups

Over the past decade, the university has supported the start-up and growth of over 600 businesses, creating over 1,300 jobs in the region with a collective turnover of more than £42m. The university offers two business support services: Business Start-Up, which supports students and graduates of Leeds Metropolitan who want to become self-employed or start up in business; and QU2 (Queen Square Business Quarter), which offers business support and office space to any business in the region, particularly suiting start-up and early stage businesses with limited budgets.

Business Incubator manager Katie Rigarlsford said: “Statistically 50 per cent of start-up businesses will fail in year one of trading. QU2 increases sustainability levels to 95 per cent.”

During his final year of an events management degree at Leeds Metropolitan University in 2004, Tom Greveson, now CEO of Revolution Viewing, entered an enterprise competition, run by both Leeds Metropolitan and the University of Leeds, with his idea for a 360-degree virtual tour company. Mr Greveson was a joint runner-up in the competition and won funding to begin setting up his business.

In September 2005, Mr Greveson joined QU2 at Leeds Metropolitan with his three-man team. He said: “I came to QU2 as they offered subsidised office space, business advisers, access to funding, workshops and the opportunity to work alongside other businesses at a similar level to ours.

“The networking has been invaluable: one company that I worked with at QU2 is now developing the software needed for the recent business I have set up and we continue to work together on projects.”

The company is now a team of 13. Turnover for the year ending October 2011 was £373,000, up 58 per cent on the previous year.

QU2 and Business Start-Up provide training and advice on the main aspects of starting and growing a small business.