Microsoft UK Pledging to Support 5,000 Start Up Businesses During StartUp Britain Launch

On the 28^th of March Microsoft’s London offices in Victoria were the scene of the launch event of StartUp Britain which was attended by the Prime Minister along with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne and the Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, as well as representatives from British businesses and high profile entrepreneurs. Read on to find out what Microsoft and other leading businesses offer to support your start up business.

Gordon Frazer, GM, VP Microsoft International and Prime Minister David Cameron at the StartUp Britain Launch Event

What is StartUp Britain?

StartUp Britain is an exciting initiative developed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. It has been designed to celebrate, inspire and accelerate enterprise in the UK. With the full support of the Prime Minister and HM Government and Microsoft is a partner in this venture.

During the event the Prime Minister said:
"If you’ve been turning over a good idea for years – now is the time to make something of it. If you’re working for a big firm but know you could do a better job on your own – now is the time to make the leap. If you’re dreaming about starting up the next great British brand - now is the time to make it happen.’’

Virgin Media Pioneers, Better Business Finance.co.uk and Shell Live Wire are co-supporters of StartUp Britain with tons of other well-known businesses offering help from discount on hardware to free business leads and mentoring sessions.

Microsoft is helping Startup Britain!

If you have been thinking about starting your own business you can find great resources to help you every step along the way on the StartUp Britain website as well as inspiring stories of businesses that made the move before you.

Our pledge:

Starting up in business is challenging in many ways and it's vital that you have the right technology in place to help you respond to customers, manage your finances and be highly productive. So Microsoft will train 5,000 startups in how to use technology to drive their business and marketing activities, including free technology resources worth up to £400 per company:

1. Webinars and seminars – we will build a programme to train 5,000 businesses. (Dates and times will be confirmed soon, so ‘favourite’ the Microsoft Small Business Centre for more information.)
2. A free 90-day trial of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to help you manage your customer relationships and sales pipeline. Worth £370
3. A head-start on online advertising with Bing and Microsoft. Worth £30 + sign up for a free webinar here.
4. A free 60-day trial of Microsoft Office, the essential software suite for managing a small business

The Microsoft small business team would love to hear your StartUp stories and feature them in their newsletters and blogs. Contact them on Twitter, Facebook, and email.

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