How to get free support for your business in Leeds City Region in 2022

The call comes at the end of another year for AD:VENTURE, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and supports businesses across the Leeds City Region that are pre-start or less than three years old.

Programme manager Stuart Ross said: “It’s gratifying to look back over another year where AD:VENTURE has made a real difference. We know that running a business is rewarding, but tough, and many do not survive through the first few years.

“But we also know that start-ups given a helping hand with the fundamentals at the beginning, like creating a business plan, managing cash flow and understanding their market, have a much greater chance of surviving and growing. And that’s why our support is so important.”

One of those companies supported by AD:VENTURE is madeby, a creative and digital agency with a green conscience, launched by two University of Leeds students in 2019.

Within a year the pair, Matt Wheeler and Sam Taylor, inset, saw profits go up tenfold.

The company was given a mentor, a grant to pay for new iMacs, access to workshops on topics ranging from finance to marketing, and they were accepted onto Accelerate, which is a six-month programme of support run by Leeds Becket University on behalf of AD:VENTURE. It is made up of masterclasses, seminars or webinars and one-to-one support, along with advice on grants and funding.

Mr Wheeler said: “With AD:VENTURE it’s all the different aspects that help. The mentor’s advice, the workshops, Accelerate and the funding all work together. Each one was a boost to us. It all really paid off. I think there’s a correlation there with how much we grew the year after we got this support.”

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James Mitchinson