Secretary of State visits York St John University

The Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, visited York St John University on 10 October and met with start-up businesses in the Phoenix Centre.

The Secretary of State was at the University to attend a Joseph Rowntree Foundation event delivering a keynote speech on the nature and extent of low pay in the UK. Afterwards he took the opportunity to visit the Phoenix Centre, York St John’s incubation hub, which offers highly subsidised inclusive rental packages and bespoke support to boost innovative start-ups.

During his visit Dr Cable saw how the fledging businesses have benefited from the support and guidance of the Phoenix Centre. He spoke with enthusiastic businesses currently in residence including; product designer ‘Tom Hutchinson Design’, multi-award winning production company ‘Glass Cannon’ and vintage-themed event specialists ‘Now and Then Events’. Each business explained their route from initial idea to commercialisation, describing their growth plans alongside the challenges they have experienced along the way.

Business Secretary, Vince Cable said:
“Britain’s growing small businesses are helping to rebalance our economy, creating jobs across the country and boosting our exports. Incubation hubs like York St John’s give innovative start-ups the support and guidance they need to help them thrive.

“We want to make the UK the best place to start and grow a business. That is why the Government will shortly launch a campaign to celebrate great British business success stories. Our campaign will inspire small businesses and point them towards the support that can help them grow and contribute to our stronger economy.”

Phoenix Centre Manager, Darrell Hooper added:
“We were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State to the York St John University start-up space to show him first-hand how small businesses are developing through our business support and subsidised services. New business start-up is never easy, but through our increasing commitment to supporting enterprising students, and the on-going support of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, it is possible to nurture successful and aspiring businesses.”

Now four years old, the Phoenix Centre has provided a collaborative and supportive workspace for over 50 start-up businesses in areas such as film and TV, product design, web and software development, animation, events management and marketing. The centre was originally a two year demonstrator project funded by Yorkshire Forward but is currently funded by subsidised rents and the University, as part of its continued and increasing investment to deliver a leading student experience and a strategy of employability and enterprise activities.