Lord Leigh of Hurley, on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Entrepreneurship and the Venture Capital Trust Association, will be hosting an event in the House of Lords to celebrate the success of the UK’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Following the long-term efforts of many, including many entrepreneurs who backed our Funding to Flourish report, the Chancellor has confirmed that it is the government’s firm intention to extend the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts beyond the current sunset on 6 April 2025.

The United Kingdom has an enviable start-up ecosystem. Over the last decade, the amount invested in start-ups has increased seventeenfold, from £1.6bn in 2011 to £27.7bn in 2021. London is by far and away the start-up capital of Europe – receiving twice as much investment as second-place Paris. This investment has helped establish world-leading companies – creating thousands of well-paying jobs, and generating tax revenues to pay for public services in the process. 

Much of this success is owed to pragmatic government support, providing the right environment for the ecosystem to thrive. Among this support has been the UK’s equity tax relief schemes: the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs). All of these schemes confer a tax benefit to people who take a risk in backing British start-ups, and many founders agree that they have been indispensable to getting their business off the ground.

Advisers and Supporters should email events@tenentrepreneurs.org to register. Everyone else should register their interest below.