Basingstoke & Business Support Agencies
Thames Valley Innovation & Growth Team
The Thames Valley Innovation and Growth Team provides comprehensive, practical support to innovative businesses in the Berkshire and North Hampshire region that have the potential and ambition to develop into high growth enterprises.
Services for start-ups and early stage businesses include business modeling and investment strategy, business mentoring, Intellectual Property support, networking events and knowledge seminars. Our Open Innovation programme gives medium and larger businesses the opportunity to actively engage with the innovative small businesses in the Innovation and Growth team network.
Thames Valley Innovation and Growth Team is part of South East Business Innovation and Growth, a SEEDA funded initiative to support high growth potential businesses across the region..
Business Link
Business Link is a free business advice and support service, available online and through local advisers. It can offer local, impartial business advice, whether you have a specific problem, need help to move your business on, or help in starting up. It can also help your business save time and money by giving you instant access to clear, simple, and trustworthy information.
It is developed in partnership with subject experts within government and relevant business-support organisations to help you comply with regulations and improve your performance.
Read Business Link case studies of Basingstoke businesses:
3EN Ventures
3EN Ventures (3EN) is a new type of investment fund - the first ever to be set up and funded exclusively by a Local Authority - Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council (B&DBC). This new fund - 3EN Ventures - will concentrate principally upon pre-revenue businesses, and offer risk capital investment of up to £75,000.
The fund will focus upon high tech businesses in the Basingstoke & Deane area within software, IT and IT services, telecoms, new media and electronics sectors.
3EN have recently launched the Lifeline Fund giving unsecured loans to SMEs of up to £25,000 located in the Basingstoke and Deane area.
North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce
The North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce is the local Chamber offering business services and a range networking events. It is independent, not-for-profit, and politically impartial. It comprises businesses and organisations from all areas of commerce and industry. It is owned and managed by business for business.
The Federation of Small Businesses
The FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) is Europe’s largest campaigning pressure group promoting and protecting the interests of the self-employed and owners of small firms. The FSB is non-profit making and non-party political and now has over 215,000 members across 33 regions and 230 branches.
Lobbying activities are local and national and the FSB has regular meetings with British Government Ministers and the European Parliament.
Apart from lobbying, the FSB supports its members in a variety of ways, including workshops on matters of topical business interest. Basingstoke is served by the North Hampshire Branch which meets approximately 10 times a year in Basingstoke and 3 times annually in Andover.
The Manufacturing Advisory Service South East
The Manufacturing Advisory Service South East is the dedicated route to hands-on support for manufacturing businesses across the South East region, offering specialist advice and holding events for the manufacturing sector.
The Local Business Partnership
The Local Business Partnership (LBP) is a group that brings businesses and regulators (trading standards, planners, health and safety etc.) together, to help both parties better understand each other. The group meet regularly with speakers to discuss topics and distributes a regular newsletter. Find out more about the LBP.
