Venturefest leads to £1m-worth of funding for showcase entrants

Venturefest Manchester is a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet the investors who’ll fund their innovative ideas, for academics and local entrepreneurs to connect, and for businesses to get the support they need from the Business Growth Hub.

And this year’s event will again include the Innovation Showcase Competition, in which start-up and young companies, as well as growth businesses, have the chance to pitch their business idea to an audience of potential investors and win a package of support provided by the partners of the Hub.

For the first time, there’ll be winners in two different categories: early stage innovation companies and established small and medium-sized growth companies.

“Greater Manchester has a reputation for leading the way on innovation, and the Business Growth Hub is there to support game-changing businesses every step of the way,” says Chris Greenhalgh, head of innovation and programme development at the Hub.

“We have just broken through the £1million barrier for funding offers to the 88 businesses that entered the 2016 Innovation Showcase Competition. That’s £1,039,225 of support small and medium-sized businesses across the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester have received directly as a result of the connections they made at Venturefest Manchester.”

The 2017 Innovation Showcase Competition is now open for entries.