Government launches Challenger Businesses Programme
The government is running a series of events to support Challenger Businesses, starting from the end of October 2013.
The government is running a series of events to support Challenger Businesses, starting from the end of October 2013.
The government has launched a programme to support UK Challenger Businesses. Challenger Businesses are ground-breaking, dynamic businesses with new technologies, innovative products and vigorous business models. The government believes they will play an important role in securing UK competitiveness, improving consumer standards and choice, and supporting economic growth.
The Challenger Businesses Programme aims to identify and respond to the needs of these businesses and help them to enter and grow in their target markets. The Programme will focus on a wide range of topics over the next 6 to 12 months, and started with financial technology (FinTech). On 29 October, in partnership with New Finance Org (NFO), we held a workshop attended by members of the FinTech community. We are reviewing the inputs received and will update on proposed next steps in due course.
Our next topic is Satellites and Commercial Space, with a workshop for challenger businesses planned for November. We will announce further topics shortly.
We welcome suggestions of focus areas where challenger businesses are encountering barriers to growth to: challengerbusinesses@bis.gov.uk.