Global Entrepreneur Programme – mentoring and business support for non-UK based founders

For over a decade Kreston Reeves have been supporting the Department of International Trade (DIT) and the UK Government’s work in attracting overseas businesses to relocate to the UK.

Through this work we were appointed by DIT as one of its champions to help overseas businesses grow and are included in the Government’s UK Investment Support Directory as one of their chosen experts in supporting the Government’s aim to ensure the UK remains the number one destination for foreign direct investment in Europe.

In recent years we have been a key supporter of the DIT’s Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP) which focuses on helping international, high-growth, innovative companies move to the UK.

The programme offers mentoring and business support to non-UK based founders to help them set up and scale their business from a UK global headquarters.

The GEP has dealmakers across the globe looking to identify innovative businesses that could be attracted to set up in the UK.

As a key partner of the GEP we have provided mentoring workshops and one to one support to the GEP’s international pipeline companies providing them with guidance and insight on setting up and operating a company in the UK as well as letting them understand the variety of beneficial tax and investment opportunities available here.

Over the last few years we have been part of GEP initiatives and delegations from Spain, Africa, S Korea, China and the US and more recently during lockdown have been taken part in a number of online “Soft Landing Workshops” for the most exciting GEP pipeline companies globally. Since its inception the GEP has assisted over 1,000 companies internationally mobile entrepreneurs to relocate to the UK with GEP companies raising over £1bn or equity investment creating more than 10,000 high value jobs in the process.

Michele Davidson-Jones, Head of Operations for the GEP comments; “The Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP) works with a wide range of stakeholders in supporting our companies to make their transition to setting up their business in the UK.

“Kreston Reeves have been working closely with the programme for many years providing advice and support to our entrepreneurial tech businesses establishing a presence in the UK and raising finance. Their advisers take great care providing key tailored advice, understanding that scaling a business in a new market is challenging and helping companies to take the right commercial decisions on setting up a company and beyond.

“Partners from Kreston Reeves have added great value to our events, providing expert advice aimed at potential pipeline companies, most recently joining us as specialists on raising capital for our “GEP soft landing workshops” with our current cohort of pipeline companies.”

Michael O’Brien, International Partner at Kreston Reeves, has worked closely with the GEP since its inception, “It’s been great to support the programme and help bring innovative, high growth businesses and their founders to the UK as well as then supporting them with their further international expansion”.

“The UK is recognised as a leader in technology and innovation. It is also recognised as a great place to do business as it facilitates access to a wide range of commercial opportunities, tax efficient funding and incentives fully aimed at encouraging innovation. The combination of these can greatly optimise the chances of success for early stage companies and ultimately achieve the long-term objectives of their founders.

With any new venture, it is important to obtain advice from the outset as structure plays a key role in accessing the full range of support available. This is especially the case with innovative companies as we find that they are often able to ‘scale up’ from a start-up to a fully-fledged business in a relatively short space of time.”

For further information on the Global Entrepreneur Programme click here, or contact Michael here.