Disability and Entrepreneurship in the Time of Coronavirus – APPG Webinar

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As the Secretariat for the APPG for Entrepreneurship, The Entrepreneurs Network are hosting a series of webinars to bring Parliamentarians and leading business owners together to explore what the future holds for start-ups and scale-ups post-COVID-19. In the first webinar of the series we focused on the public health challenges facing disabled entrepreneurs and how the Government will be able best support entrepreneurs with disabilities.

We were joined by some inspirational speakers in our APPG for Entrepreneurship session on Disability & Entrepreneurship in the Time of Coronavirus last week. We heard from Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Chair for the APPG for Disability and Shadow Spokesperson on Mental Health. She was joined by social entrepreneur Kush Kanodia, and Liz Johnson, gold-medal winning Paralympian and co-founder of The Ability People and (recently launched) Podium. 

Giving a parliamentarian's perspective, Dr Lisa Cameron MP  stressed the importance of creating a momentum around the key issues facing disabled entrepreneurs and looking to policy areas that could be developed, to maximise everyone’s skills. 

I've picked out a few of the most thought-provoking insights from the session. If you are interested in reading the full transcript, you can view it here. We will be uploading the webinar onto our YouTube channel.

Highlights & Insights from our Speakers

Liz Johnson spoke about accessibility and how we should address it as an underlying factor in everything we do to ensure that disabled persons are able to reach their full potential:

“Authentic inclusion and normalizing people's differences is what's going to make the world move forward and what's going to support people with disabilities to use their entrepreneurial skills and opportunities”

She drew on the education process in the sporting industry, with regards to disabled athletes and suggested that we can transfer this into every aspect of our society:

“We have to push and work with people to constantly make sure that accessibility is the underlying factor to everything and people are included in consultation at every level because you can't be expected to fix things for people. If you don't know what's wrong with them”

Kush Kanodia stressed the importance of re-focusing and changing our systems to combat the increasing inequality, which will result from the COVID-19 pandemic:

“Having accessible health-care and transport systems are only going to be ever more critical for disabled people in our post-COVID world”

He also spoke about how ‘fear’ of losing benefits is the single biggest barrier to disabled entrepreneurship:

“We need to focus and enable an environment where disabled entrepreneurs feel confident and not afraid to take the additional risks that are associated with starting a new business”

Dr Lisa Cameron MP drew attention to Liz and Kush’s insights and suggested that their ideas could be used to positively impact disabled entrepreneurs across the UK. She suggested that reducing barriers to accessing finance and mentoring are vital to address the challenges faced by many disabled entrepreneurs.

Questions & Recommendations

During the Q&A session, we touched on a range of key issues facing disabled entrepreneurs. Here is a quick summary of some of the issues we explored and the recommendations that came out of our Q&A.

One person suggested that APPG Disability meetings should be available on different platforms, to ensure that disabled persons are able to engage with parliament on the issues they face.

In response Dr Lisa Cameron MP spoke about how she is having meetings with the Speaker in order to make the meetings more technologically savvy going forward and to ensure that committee meetings are accessible to all. 

Philip Salter, Secretariat for the APPG for Entrepreneurship, asked Liz and Kush about how optimistic they were about there being a positive change to come out of coronavirus for disabled people.

In response, Liz Johnson suggested that while working from home has opened doors for some disabled entrepreneurs, it has also made it more difficult and challenging for other people. Talking about the transition back to the office after lockdown, Liz suggested that there should not be a blanket approach for all. 

“I think the key to the transition back out of this is how we frame it and how we educate everybody around the choices and the differences that are born out of necessity… there are people who actually, if they implement these strategies, their productivity will be so much more and the opportunities become endless”

Kush Kanodia suggested that COVID-19 has been a leveling experience for many, who might not have understood the fear that many disabled entrepreneurs feel leaving their homes. Kush also suggested that it has shown that virtual environments are just as important as physical ones. 

“One of the key transitions that I want to see in a post COVID world is that disability no longer sits within diversity and inclusion, within organisations, but is actually a part of sustainability, is actually a part of corporate strategy, values and ethics of all organisations”

One person asked about what could be done to get more disabled persons involved at the policymaking level.

Dr Lisa Cameron MP spoke about the Disability Internship Programme developed by the APPG for Entrepreneurship which seeks to involve disabled persons as key stakeholders in policy making. 

One of the audience members spoke about her struggle to access the finance she needed, as a disabled entrepreneur, and asked how the Government might support disabled entrepreneurs and ensure that they are heard?

Kush Kanodia spoke about how disabled entrepreneurship seems to be missing in the current Government support. He also recommended that the turnover requirements for disabled entrepreneurs in their first year of business should be scrapped, both during and in a post-COVID world, in order to reduce levels of unemployment:

“Entrepreneurship is going to be a much more conducive conduit to employment for a lot of disabled people”

One person whether there would be any additional initial funding schemes available to disabled entrepreneurs. Another person then asked about the economic recovery plan.

Liz Johnson stressed the importance of cross-communication between departments to ensure that disabled entrepreneurs have equal access to initial funding and are considered in the COVID-19 recovery plan:

“People want to be able to access what they are capable of and what they have potential for. So we need to create a world where you normalise differences”

Kush Kanodia brought the funding issue home with some interesting stats on the global purchasing power of disabled entrepreneurs and their potential to contribute to the UK economy.

“We have 15 to 20 percent of the population, equating to 14 million people being disabled globally. That's 1.3 billion people and that globally equates to a purchasing power of 8 trillion dollars”

Dr Lisa Cameron MP wrapped up the webinar with some updates on how she is raising the funding issue with the banks and also the letter she has written to the Prime Minister, regarding the importance of a disability inclusive economic recovery plan.

So where do we go from here? Dr Lisa Cameron MP has expressed her interest in looking into an inquiry report about entrepreneurship for people with disabilities. We see this webinar as only the beginning of a wider conversation about how we can help to support disabled entrepreneurs. As made clear in this session, entrepreneurship is going to be so important in our post-COVID-19 world. 

Some of our greatest entrepreneurs live or lived with disabilities. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin has spoken about how Dyslexia made him a better businessman. Ralph Braun had muscular dystrophy and built Braun Corporation, the world’s leading manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vehicles. The concept for IKEA came from its founder’s, Ingvar Kamprad’s dyslexia.

We have a few more APPG for Entrepreneurship webinars coming up in the next few weeks. If you are interested, you can sign up here. 

APPG for Entrepreneurship - May 2020 Digest

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The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdown has put businesses of all sizes under enormous strain. The government has responded to the economic turmoil with an unprecedented package of support for businesses across the UK. The support has ranged from loan guarantees of up to £5m rates relief for a range of sectors, to direct cash grants and the state picking up the wages of almost a quarter of the workforce. This is not to mention the Self Employment Income Support Scheme, which went live last week ahead of schedule.

However, many early-stage businesses, in particular those working in tech, felt as if the government had missed them out. Innovative startups are often loss-making early on, with uncertain revenues. As a result, they typically seek equity rather than debt financing. They also often opt for the flexibility of shared office spaces and thus would not qualify for the cash grants either. These concerns were crystallised in the Save Our Startups campaign, which was signed by over 6,000 startups and early-stage investors, and pushed for an equity-based alternative to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. 

The government responded to these concerns by announcing the Future Fund, which offered to match fund convertible notes (loans that convert into equity at a discount) for startups that have raised £250k in equity finance, and a new scheme of grants worth up to £10,000 to companies in shared workspaces to be distributed by councils.

While both schemes have been welcomed by entrepreneurs, it is worth noting a few concerns entrepreneurs have raised with their implementation.

More than thirty founders from some of Britain’s fastest growing startups have complained that the Future Fund’s requirement that a startup’s parent company be UK-incorporated. This excludes startups who have been through prestigious US-based accelerators such Y-Combinator and Techstars, even if all of their workforce is based in the UK. 

Many startups and business angels were disappointed at the initial £250,000 minimum investment received requirement. However, some startups who thought they would qualify have uncovered a further hurdle. The Future Fund only allows Advanced Subscription Agreements, a method of equity finance similar to convertible loans commonly used by accelerators, to count towards the total invested if they have been converted to equity. This may exclude many high-growth startups that have been through prestigious UK-based accelerators.

There are also concerns that the cash grant scheme for startups in shared workspaces is insufficiently funded. Craig Cheney, deputy mayor of Bristol, told the Financial Times, the city had at least 1,700 businesses in shared workspaces but only £3.5m to allocate. “To give them all £10,000 we would need £17m.”

Speaking of cash grants

Enterprise Nation’s Emma Jones, one of the APPG’s advisers, would like to draw your attention to a new cash grant scheme they have set up working with Salesforce. Startups with at least two employees who haven’t received any other cash grant from the government can apply for a £5,000 grant. Businesses can apply here.

Upcoming Events

APPG for Entrepreneurship Webinars

We're organising a series of webinars to bring parliamentarians, entrepreneurs and the wider ecosystem together. You will have the opportunity before and during the webinar to raise questions. Feel free to forward these on to others who might be interested.

Members of Parliament or Peers who want to join the panel, or host their own webinar, should contact Philip Salter to arrange this.
 

Disability & Entrepreneurship in the Time of Coronavirus (in partnership with Disability Rights UK)
Featuring Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Liz Johnson (gold-medal winning Paralympic swimmer), and Kush Kanodia (social entrepreneur)
21 May 2020
1pm to 2pm
Register

This event will consider: the public health challenges for some disabled entrepreneurs; the support that government provides to entrepreneurs with disabilities and where more is needed; and potential post-coronavirus changes (e.g. changing working patterns, technologies etc.) and how they might support entrepreneurs with disabilities.
 

The Economy, Technology and Bouncing Back after Lockdown
Featuring John Penrose MP and Baroness Kramer
28 May 2020
1pm to 2pm
Register

This event will consider: the potential impact of Coronavirus on the economy and business practice; the fourth industrial revolution, and how tax system reforms will encourage economic growth.

Innovation, International Trade and Economic Recovery (in partnership with Octopus Group)
Featuring Andrew Griffith MP and Chris Hulatt (co-founder of Octopus
4 June 2020
11am to 12pm
Register

This event will consider: how UK startups can get back on track as the Coronavirus lockdown gradually eases; what the government is doing now and could do in the future to kickstart innovation; and how international trade will change after Coronavirus and how this will impact UK startups.

In Parliament

In a debate on the increase in the employment allowance, Lord Wei (Con) asked why the government was focussing on small businesses and employment rather than those who were self-employed and in freelance positions. He worried whether moves made to save jobs and keep people in employment were preventing people from generating future employment through entrepreneurship and self employment.

In a Commons debate on the same issue, Kim Johnson MP (Lab) welcomed the increase in the Employment Allowance, but expressed concerns that “some businesses are falling through the cracks, and the increase in the employment allowance will be of limited assistance to the many SMEs struggling to keep afloat during the covid-19 pandemic.”

In questions to the Treasury, Joy Morrissey MP (Con) praised the start-up loan programme. Chancellor Rishi Sunak restated her praise and added that coming out of coronavirus it will be the entrepreneurs of tomorrow who will help to create new jobs and drive prosperity.

In the second reading of the Finance Bill, Lilian Greenwood MP (Lab) drew attention to the problems faced by small businesses and start-ups in co-working spaces and other multi-occupancy buildings, saying “they pay their landlord a fee that includes rent and rates. The landlord does not qualify for small business rate relief, which means that neither the landlord nor the small business tenants can access the £10,000 small business grant.” She and her council have written to the Chancellor, urging him to address this anomaly.

In the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme debate in the Lords, Baroness Lane Fox (Crossbench) raised concerns about how the Future Fund was only made available to companies which had raised over £250k. She worried that this cut-off puts diverse funders and businesses based outside of the south-east at disadvantage and asked how the minister would ensure that the fund does not exacerbate existing inequalities.

Also in this debate, Baroness Blackwood (Con) asked  for clarity about the Future Fund. She wanted to know whether companies would have a reasonable veto over whom the loans could be sold on to. The minister responded by saying they were considering the issue closely while working out the details of the scheme.

In the Commons debate on the coronavirus job retention scheme, Mel Stride (Con) asked whether the government could take a second look at the qualification requirements for the Future Fund, asking for EIS and SEIS investments to be accommodated in some way. Sunak responded that EIS was notified state aid and therefore presents a challenge.

To get the APPG for Entrepreneurship sent to your inbox each month, sign up here.

Minutes of the 2020 Annual General Meeting

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5th February 2020

Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Present: Seema Malhotra MP, Bim Afolami MP, Gagan Mohindra MP, Saqib Bhatti MP, Craig Williams MP, Rob Roberts MP, Dean Russell MP, Lord Leigh of Hurley, Lord Bilimoria, Baroness Neville-Jones, Lord Lucas, Philip Salter (The Entrepreneurs Network), Annabel Denham (The Entrepreneurs Network), Katrina Sale (Coordinator, APPG for Entrepreneurship), Dom Hallas (Coadec), Joel Gladwin (Coadec), Matt Smith (Centre for Entrepreneurs), Simon Mcvicker (IPSE), Dr Chris Hayley (Nesta).

Elections:

Seema Malhotra was unanimously re-elected as Chair and Registered Contact for the APPG.

Dr Lisa Cameron MP was re-elected as Vice-Chair.

Rachel Maclean MP was re-elected as Vice-Chair.

Lord Bilimoria was re-elected as Vice-Chair.

Lord Leigh of Hurley was elected as Vice-Chair.

Gillian Keegan was re-elected as an Officer.

Lord Cromwell was re-elected as an Officer.

Baroness Kramer was re-elected as an Officer.

Baroness Neville-Jones was re-elected as an Officer.

Bim Afolami MP was elected as an Officer.

The following Parliamentarians have joined the Group as Members:

Lord Lucas

Bob Blackman MP

Baroness Kingsmill

Baroness Wolf

Fiona Bruce MP

Catherine West MP

Rob Roberts MP

Jerome Mayhew MP

James Daly MP

Saqib Bhatti MP

Ian Liddell-Granger MP

Katherine Fletcher MP

Selaine Saxby MP

Dean Russell MP

Nick Fletcher MP

Gagan Mohindra MP

Craig Williams MP

Update from the Secretariat (The Entrepreneurs Network):

Philip Salter announced that there will be a change in approach in 2020 and beyond. The APPG will not only host events and conduct research in its own right, it will also become a conduit for other events. The APPG will be hosting an event for the launch of a new Tech Nation report, for example, and for an event with the EIS Association. 

This, Philip explained, is why the APPG now has an advisory board, to help encourage other organisations to hold parliamentary launches and get their research into the hands of politicians and policymakers. The Advisory Board members are:

Annabel Denham, Head of the Female Founders Forum

Dom Hallas, Executive Director, Coadec

Emma Jones MBE, Founder, Enterprise Nation

Simon Mcvicker, Director of Policy, IPSE

Matt Smith, Director, Centre for Entrepreneurs

Liz Stevenson, Communications and Stakeholder Affairs Director, Tech Nation

Philip also announced that the APPG will be doing events with the Enterprise Research Centre. He thanked Seema Malhotra MP for her Chairmanship to date.

Seema Malhotra MP thanked The Entrepreneurs Network for work done and praised the APPG as a “tremendous asset in Parliament”. 

Policy Areas

Lord Leigh of Hurley worries about the future of Entrepreneurs’ Relief. His concerns were echoed by Dom Hallas of Coadec. The APPG, it was suggested, should call for a consultation and review of the Relief. Philip Salter proposed a roundtable. Seema Malhotra agreed. Attendees were in unison that the APPG should engage with government on the issue.

Lord Lucas suggested antitrust as an area the APPG could explore.

Dr Chris Hayley announced Nesta is undertaking research around public procurement. This is a long-term project, but he will keep the APPG informed and assured attendees (especially Welsh MPs) that this would be a UK-wide (rather than just England) project. He also suggested addressing corporate venture capital, concerns that it kills competition, and questions around whether we should view it in a positive light.

Lord Bilimoria suggested three avenues of support or opportunity. First – the CBI, of which he is Vice President. Second – business schools. Third – EEUK, of which he is patron. Philip Salter explained that the APPG has engaged with EEUK in the past on research.

Dom Hallas made known that Coadec will be publishing a paper with the British Business Bank around access to finance – particularly for tech entrepreneurs – and how the UK can get more institutional capital into the venture market.

Dean Russell MP, former entrepreneur and startup partner with London & Partners, has had “coal face experience”. He thinks the APPG could offer guidance to startups in the initial phases – to prevent unnecessary business burn out. Sustainability is a challenge, he said, and support around pitching could help. 

Matt Smith announced work the Centre for Entrepreneurs is undertaking research around university incubators, diversity and inclusion, refugees and practical support for would-be entrepreneurs serving time. Philip Salter suggested larger events championing this work.

Seema Malhotra MP concluded that:

  1. The APPG should consider Adjournment or Westminster Hall debates;

  2. Internationalisation could be a policy area in 2020;

  3. The APPG should address access to finance and home-grown venture capital.

AOB

The meeting concluded and Seema was congratulated on her re-election as Chair.

APPG for Entrepreneurship – May 2019 Digest

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Uber strikes across four UK cities last week brought the gig economy and the rights of those who work within it front and centre.  

The heads of two Parliamentary Select Committees have urged Ministers to enact recommendations from the Taylor Review into employment. Almost two years after the launch of the Review, Rachel Reeves MP (Lab), chair of the BEIS Select Committee, accused the Government of "dawdling" and asked that it come forward with legislation to protect workers' rights and end abuse by "unscrupulous" employers. Frank Field (Independent), chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, added: "Until the Government gets a grip on the gig economy, employers' revenues will go on being subsidised by their sweated workforce and an exhausted public purse."

At a speech on the future of the Labour Market at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, Amber Rudd MP (Con), Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, echoed these concerns, saying: "there are fears that for employees, the gig economy could objectify labour to a point where their working lives are subordinate to an unthinking algorithm".

A recent Oxford University survey found most Uber drivers had moved to the platform from a permanent role, attracted by the flexibility and control it offered. And as the Taylor Review pointed out, we now have more people wanting to work fewer hours than those who want to work more. One thing is for certain: with an estimated 4.8m people currently gigging in the UK, the gig economy is here to stay.

MPs have bridged the aisle on an amendment to the Immigration Bill that would see a relaxation of the current rules. Jo Johnson MP (Con) and Paul Blomfield MP (Lab) are calling for foreign students to be allowed to work in the UK for up to two years – a policy that was slashed to 4 months in 2012 when Theresa May was still Home Secretary. "If we are serious about Global Britain," former Universities Minister Johnson said, "we must recognise that international students bring huge benefits to our universities, our local economies and our soft power". 

In Silicon Valley, over half of all engineering and technology companies have at least one foreign-born founder, with the majority initially moving to the US to study, not work. But entrepreneurs need time to do the market research, develop key contacts, and spot an opportunity before taking the leap. The pair's bid has the backing of nine Commons Committee chairs, as well as Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner and former Conservative Ministers Justine Greening, David Davis, Andrew Mitchell and Priti Patel. 

Read the whole Digest – including entrepreneurship mentions in Parliament and relevant forthcoming events – here. Sign up here.

APPG for Entrepreneurship – February 2019 Digest

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For centuries humans have looked to January as a source of renewal and, for entrepreneurs, 2019 began on an upbeat note: research from eBay found that over three-quarters of British entrepreneurs between 18 and 34 felt positive about their chance of growing their business in 2019; figures from the Booksellers Association showed that the number of independent bookstores on our high streets grew for the second year running in 2018; and a KPMG Enterprise study revealed that, over the course of 2018, 31.5 per cent (or $7.7bn) of VC investment in Europe went to UK startups.
 
This is only part of the picture, however. On Monday, a report from the British Business Bankshowed that female startup founders are missing out on billions of pounds of investment. Just 11 per cent of firms with at least one female founder received investment, and those with an all-female leadership team received just 1p in every pound. Ensuring female entrepreneurs get the finance to scale is fundamental – to both the economy and our society.
 
Also, a report from The Entrepreneurs Network and Association of Business Executives, launched in the Houses of Parliament with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kelly Tolhurst MP, found that while the rate of business startup creation is cause for celebration, downstream as many as 56 per cent of these new firms collapse within five years. “Too often viable companies fail due to bad management even when the fundamental idea behind the business is sound,” author Sam Dumitriu writes. He recommends practical reforms to ensure businesses are better managed, thereby creating more jobs, paying higher wages and selling better products.

Read the whole Digest – including entrepreneurship mentions in Parliament and relevant forthcoming events – here. Sign up here.

Minutes of the 2018 AGM

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12 December 2018 – Room Q, Portcullis House

Present: Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, Baroness Kramer, Seema Malhotra MP, Lisa Cameron MP, Lord Lucas, Philip Salter (The Entrepreneurs Network), Sam Dumitriu (The Entrepreneurs Network).

Elections:

Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP stood down as Chair and Seema Malhotra MP was unanimously elected as Chair and Registered Contact for the APPG. The group thanked Liam for his chairmanship.

Baroness Neville-Jones was elected as an Officer for the APPG.

The following officers were re-elected:

Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Vice-Chair
Rachel Maclean MP, Vice-Chair
Colin Clark MP, Officer
Gillian Keegan MP, Officer
Darren Jones MP, Officer
Wayne David MP, Officer
Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, Officer
Lord Bilimoria, Officer
Baroness Kramer, Officer
Lord Cromwell, Officer

The following parliamentarians joined as members:

Sir Henry Bellingham MP
Lord Lucas
Baroness Wolf of Dulwich CBE
Lord Leigh of Hurley

Update from Secretariat:

Philip Salter noted that in 2018 the APPG for Entrepreneurship released 3 reports (on the topics of Enterprise Education, Women in Leadership and Tax Reform), held 2 launch events and hosted 6 roundtables with entrepreneurs and parliamentarians.

Research for 2019:

  • Lisa Cameron MP expressed interest in researching entrepreneurship as an option for people living with disabilities. She notes that flexibility is valuable for disabled. Lisa chairs APPG for Disability and raised the prospect of collaboration.

  • Seema Malhotra MP expressed interest in following up the APPG’s report on Enterprise Education at University level, with an addition report looking at provision in Primary and Secondary education. Lisa Cameron MP mentioned that the APPG should look at Enterprise Education’s place in the curriculum. Seema Malhotra MP mentioned importance of foundational business skills based on research with female entrepreneursc .

  • Baroness Kramer expressed interest in research ahead of the Immigration White Paper. Seema Malhotra MP also expressed interest in the Start-Up Visa and raised the possibility of a joint letter or article ahead of the White Paper.

  • Philip Salter set out three policies on immigration. Reforming the investor visa to channel more money into risk capital, the start-up visa to subsume the current entrepreneur visa, and a new post-study work option. Philip also highlighted issues with existing entrepreneur visa.

  • Baroness Kramer raised the issue of exporting and entrepreneurship

  • Lord Lucas raised the issue of procurement and whether SMEs are given a fair opportunity to compete for tenders. Baroness Kramer seconded that and raised concerns about the way tenders are overseen. Philip Salter mentioned South Korea’s online marketplace for public tenders as a potential model.

AOB

The meeting concluded and the group congratulated Seema on her election as Chair.

Entrepreneurs recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list

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Twice a year, some of the UK’s great achievers are given recognition in the Honours List. Their accomplishments cover sport, social work and space – but we were particularly encouraged by the high number of entrepreneurs given recognition this year. They include Innocent Drinks co-founder Richard Reed, Unruly co-founder Sarah Wood, and Eben Upton, founder of Rasberry Pi. 30-year old Rajeeb Dey was among the youngest of this year’s honourees, and received an MBE for services to entrepreneurship in recognition for his work as founder of Enternships and co-founder of StartUp Britain.

Alan Mak MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Entrepreneurship, said:

Our APPG exists to help champion UK founders, and we are delighted to see some of the country’s best and brightest entrepreneurs have been awarded titles as part of the Queen’s 2016 Birthday Honours List. The individuals brave enough to strike out on their own are the driving force of the UK economy, inspiring innovation and creating employment – and deserve to be celebrated.

The entrepreneurs recognised with royal honours include:

Knighthood

  • Sir Peter Wood, founder of Direct Line and eSure, for services to UK industry and philanthropy.

CBE

  • Dr Eben Upton, founder of Raspberry Pi, for services to Business and Education.

  • Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks, for services to the food industry and to charity.

  • Timothy Sawyer, chief executive officer of Start Up Loans, for services to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

OBE

  • Scott Button and Sarah Wood, co-founders of Unruly, for services to innovation and technology.

  • Deborah Wosskow, founder of Love Home Swap, for services to business.

  • Johanna Basford, for services to art and entrepreneurship.

  • Joel Blake, founder of Cultiv8 and co-founder of HOT500, for services to business support and enterprise.

  • Alex Chesterman, founder of Zoopla Property, for services to digital entrepreneurship.

  • John Clark, chair and chief executive of John Clark Motor Group, for services to business, motorsport and charity in Scotland.

  • Julie Devonshire, director of entrepreneurship at King’s College London and director at Ventures at UnLtd, for services to Entrepreneurship.

  • Gary Elden, chief executive officer, Sthree Plc, for services to diversity in business.

  • Andrew Fisher, executive chairman of Shazam, for services to the Digital Economy.

  • Stephen Gibson, founder and chairman of Bulkhaul and owner of Middlesbrough Football Club, for services to the economy, sport and community on Teesside.

  • Saul Klein, general partner at LocalGlobal and co-Founder of Lovefilm, Seedcamp and Kano, for services to business.

  • Caroline Plumb, founder and executive chair of FreshMinds, for services to business and charity.

  • Duncan Rae, managing director of Golden Casket (Greenock) Ltd and chairman of Greenock Morton Football Club, for services to Business and the community in Renfrewshire.

  • Timothy Steiner, founder and chief executive officer of Ocado, for services to the economy.

MBE

  • Rajeeb Dey, founder of Enternships, for services to entrepreneurship.

  • Alexandra Depledge and Thomas Nimmo, co-founders of Hassle.com, for services to the sharing economy.

  • Bonamy Grimes and Barry Smith, co-founders of Skyscanner, for services to technology and travel.

  • Ben Medlock and Jonathan Reynold, co-founders of Swiftkey, for services to technology.

  • Wendy Tan-White, co-Founder of Moonfruit, for services to technology businesses.

  • Sara Davies, founder of Crafter’s Companion, for services to the Economy.

  • Simon Duffy and Rhodri Ferrier, co-founders of Bulldog, for services to the beauty industry.

  • Alice Bentinck and Matt Clifford, co-founders of Entrepreneur First, for services to business.

  • Mike Butcher, editor-at-large, TechCrunch, for services to technology and journalism.

  • Carol Fitzsimons, chief executive of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland, for services to youth entrepreneurship and enterprise.

  • Romy Gill, founder of Romy’s Kitchen, for services to the hospitality industry.

  • Jayne Graham, founder and consultant at 2020 Consulting and founder of Colleagues on Tap, for services to small businesses in the North East of England.

  • Jess Jeetly, founder and managing director of Jeetly, for services to entrepreneurship.

  • Jennifer Johnson, chief executive officer of Kids Allowed, for services to apprenticeships.

  • Ren Kapur, founder and chief executive officer of X-Forces Ltd, for services to entrepreneurship.

  • Rachel Mallows, director of the Mallows Company and Made In Northamptonshire, for services to business and entrepreneurship.

  • Mark Moran, inventor of The Hydrant Drinking System, for services to innovation and entrepreneurship.

  • Anthony Pile, entrepreneur and founder of Blue Skies Holdings, for services to international business.

  • Emma Sinclair, entrepreneur and co-founder of EnterpriseJungle, for services to entrepreneurship.

  • Neil Thomas, founder of Atelier One, for services to architecture, design and engineering.

  • James Watt and Martin Dickie, co-founders of BrewDog, for services to the brewing industry.

  • Dawn Whiteley, chief executive of the National Enterprise Network, for services to business support and enterprise.

  • Jean Wilson, founder of New Hope Charity, Worcestershire, for services to children.

  • BEM

  • Aaron Jones, founder of Fikay Fashion, for services to ethical fashion.

  • Kirsty Loveday, founder and managing director of Love Drinks, for services to the drinks industry.

 

Minutes of the 2016 AGM

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6 September 2016 – Room M, Portcullis House


Present: Alan Mak MP; Peter Kyle MP; The Earl of Erroll; The Lord Taylor of Warwick; The Lord Cromwell; Mr Philip Salter (The Entrepreneurs Network); Representative of Anne Marie Morris MP.


Chairman’s Report

  • Alan Mak MP welcomed everyone to the meeting, thanked them for attending, and outlined the APPG’s activity since the launch in June 2016.
  •  He noted that there has been lots of interest from Members of both Houses, the entrepreneurship community, and other organisations. The launch event was very well attended and so far the APPG has had an encouraging and successful start to its first year.
  • Alan briefly outlined the forthcoming programme of events and noted that David Gauke MP and Seema Malhotra MP have agreed to speak, with more speakers to be confirmed soon now the Government reshuffle is complete.

Statement from Secretariat and Treasurer’s Report

  • Philip Salter introduced himself as Director of The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN), which is the Secretariat of the APPG. Philip explained the APPG’s four policy streams in more detail (tax reform, exporting, female founders, and enterprise education) and outlined the plan for the year ahead
  • The APPG will hold a series of ‘power lunches’ with entrepreneurs, in order to extract questions that will be put into a survey of TEN members and a subsequent call for evidence. The results from that process will be put into a policy report to be launched next summer, a year on from the APPG launch event.
  • Philip invited those attending the AGM to put him in contact with any interested individuals or organisations that might wish to contribute to the work of the APPG.

Election of Officers

  • Alan Mak MP proposed that all the existing Officers be re-elected. Lord Erroll seconded that proposal, and the AGM agreed this unanimously.  

AOB 

  • One attendee made a point about the need to make sure ethnic minority entrepreneurs are not neglected in the work of the APPG; another raised the issue of ensuring the APPG was not entirely London-centric.
  • Peter Kyle MP suggested looking at entrepreneurial options for fundraising, including events outside Parliament with a charge for attendance.
  • Alan Mak MP concluded the meeting and thanked everyone for coming.