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Virgin StartUp

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What is Virgin StartUp? 

Virgin StartUp is the not-for-profit Virgin company for entrepreneurs. It provides government-backed Start Up Loans and one-to-one business advice to entrepreneurs launching or growing a business in England or Scotland. 

Virgin StartUp was founded by Richard Branson in 2013, following a pilot programme in the north-east of England between Virgin Unite, Virgin Money, The Northern Rock Foundation and Project North East. Since the pilot, Virgin Unite has supported Virgin StartUp’s mentoring programme. 

What does Virgin StartUp do? 

Virgin StartUp’s mission is to promote entrepreneurship in the UK and to empower people to follow their dreams by turning ideas into businesses through access to advice, mentoring and funding. 

Businesses funded by Virgin StartUp survive longer, generate higher turnover and hire more people than businesses supported by other start-up support organisations in the UK. It has an unrelenting focus on the founders that it exists to support and look to use the platform and network it has, to help them thrive. 

Currently only one in five start-ups in the UK has a woman founder – Virgin StartUp thinks that’s something that needs to change. In 2019 it became the first start-up support organisation to pledge equal funding for men and women with our 50:50 pledge – and it is making progress towards achieving this goal.