Business News Round Up (10/09/19)
SMEs have regained ground lost in the previous quarter, says survey
The CYBG SME Health Check Index has risen by six points in Scotland, recovering a large portion of the losses in the first quarter of the year as confidence and capacity improved. The SME Health Check Index is published by CYBG in partnership with leading economic consultancy, the Center for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), is designed to asses the UK SME community as a whole and provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities it faces.
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/smes-regained-ground-lost-previous-19914871
Manchester’s tech sector “thriving” says UK Digital Secretary following latest Tech Nation report
According to Tech Nation’s Bright Tech Future Jobs and Skills report, Manchester’s tech sector is thriving and growing rapidly following a significant amount of venture capital investment in the first half of 2019. Manchester currently employs more than 100,000 workers in the digital economy but also has 164,000 vacancies for workers with tech and non-tech skills.
Fall in number of Scottish start-ups attributed to Brexit
New findings have revealed the number of new start-ups in Scotland fell sharply last year due to uncertainty surrounding Brexit and warned of an ongoing lack of clarity blunting expansion plans in more established companies. The Enterprise Research Center’s UK Local Growth Dashboard report found that in 2018 the number of new start-ups fell by nearly 2,000, a decline of 10.9% compared to the previous year.
Investment firm unveils new £10m fund for Northern businesses
Praetura Ventures, a Manchester based venture capital and private equity firm, have announced plans for a second Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) to raise £10 million to invest in up to eight early-stage companies in the North of England. The announcement follows Praetura’s record-breaking £15 million EIS fundraiser less than six months ago.