1st January 2010
On Saturday 17th January, Enterprise Nation organised StartUp2015, a free HSBC sponsored event for entrepreneurs. 3,200 businesses registered for the event and went to Somerset House, which was turned into a very cool living and breathing entrepreneurial incubator and pitch platform.
Crowd2Fund, alongside HSBC Commercial Bank, was running the Funding Zone, the area dedicated to fundraising. The Crowd2Fund team worked tirelessly to support the funding needs of new inspiring businesses. Alongside HSBC, Crowd2Fund was talking to entrepreneurs in order to provide them with an alternative source of finance, where traditional bank lending may not have been suitable.
The overall ambition of the event was to “Help people build great businesses” The one-day event also included several keynote speeches from top entrepreneurs and business experts, start-up workshops, drop-in sessions and networking opportunities for aspiring and early-stage founders.
The first keynote talk was an inspiring discussion with Skye Gyngell, the famed chef with a Michelin star to her name, who has been receiving great reviews since opening Spring at Somerset House. Skye told her story of people how she got started, attracted headlines, and her top tips for anyone starting a food business.
Chris Hancock, Crowd2Fund’s CEO, also participated in a talk about “Raising funds & accessing mentors”, along with HSBC and other funding partners. In-line with the company mission of delivering global economic growth, Chris explained to entrepreneurs the importance of selecting the correct funding partner and also choosing the right type of funding when raising capital for your business.
Finally, one of the lessons that deserve to be remembered from this StartUp 2015 event is the fact that there is no antinomy at all between banks and crowdfunding platforms. On the contrary, the collaboration between HSBC and Crowd2Fund in the Funding Zone proved that together, it is possible to help more small businesses grow, and bring investors more opportunities to the marketplace.
We thank HSBC and Enterprise nation for facilitating the brilliant event and hope we get the opportunity to attend future events.
Find out more here:
www.enterprisenation.com
and
www.knowledge.hsbc.co.uk
