Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

The initiative combines the resources of Cambridge Enterprise Agency, St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge Entrepreneurship Centre and Business Link.

They are creating a one-stop advisory service giving access to DTI grants for support, skills and training. Budding entrepreneurs can seek expert guidance on a broad range of services including market research, intellectual property rights and business planning.

Assistance from the Cambridge Virtual Incubator is available to high-growth start-ups likely to be trading outside the region and achieve a turnover in excess of £150,000 in the first year, increasing to £1 million within five years.

The service is open to all eligible potential high-growth businesses, irrespective of industry sector or background.

Walter Herriot, managing director of St John’s Innovation Centre, says: “Through the Cambridge Virtual Incubator, the four partners have come together to bring an incomparable range of expertise to further strengthen the region’s global reputation as a hotbed of enterprise.

“Our aim is to nurture the next generation of high-growth businesses in their early stages by providing easy access to business-critical consultancy that might otherwise be unaffordable.”

• Access the website at www.cambridgevirtualincubator.com