10,000 Champions: GroupSpaces; GettingPersonal and Searcys
Supersonic online entrepreneurs - John Smith, Giles Harridge; David Langer (pictured) and Andy Young. Plus the man reviving the Champagne days.
David Langer
CEO of GroupSpaces
Who said entrepreneurship was dead in Britain?
At 10,000 Champions we believe that a relatively small number of dynamic companies (approx 10/11,000, according to seminal NESTA research) will generate half the new jobs in the UK economy.
So who are these new British champions? In which sectors are they operating? In which regions? What kind of people are they?
Each week, Real Business brings you the individual stories of these 10,000 Champions, revealing key facts about their business profiles, personal histories and interests and, critically for any small firm accessing finance, investors.
All of our 10,000 Champions have recently successfully raised equity finance to grow their businesses. It's not all bad news out there, folks. More to come.
- John Smith and Giles Harridge are co-founders of the personalised gift website GettingPersonal.co.uk that has made the move from home-based business idea to serious business. Now they've raised £4m to boost the Manchester business.
- For Doug Tetley of upmarket catering business Searcy's, the champagne days are far from over, as he leads an MBO from the Alternative Hotel Group.
- Who said Britain doesn't have rising-star software entrepreneurs? Check out David Langer and Andy Young of GroupSpaces, taking on the world with their software to help you run clubs online.