Monthly Archives: December 2020

Hot Business News Today

MarketFinance offers small business grants of £5,000 each

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Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
MarketFinance, the fintech business lender, is offering grants of £5,000 to support small businesses.
Businesses have until December 31 to apply for grants through the MarketFinance Business Booster Fund.
Three businesses will be selected and announced on January 6.
Timings of subsequent rounds will be confirmed in 2021.
>See also: Treasury to discuss COVID-19 grant for company directors
Any business in any sector can apply, so long as it has been trading for at least two years and is showing positive growth. It is not necessary to be an existing customer of MarketFinance to be eligible for the grant.
MarketFinance, which has offices in London and Manchester, is especially keen to support entrepreneurs who value diversity, inclusion and giving back.
Since 2011, MarketFinance has advanced over £3bn to companies across a range of sizes and sectors, providing working capital and finance for everything from paying staff and suppliers to launching new products or services and accelerating growth.
MarketFinance is backed by Barclays, Santander InnoVentures, European venture capital fund Northzone (whose investments include Klarna, iZettle and Trustpilot) and private equity group MCI Capital (also invested in iZettle, Azimo and Gett).
>See also: Liverpool launches £9.5m grant fund for ‘excluded’ self-employed
Anil Stocker, CEO of

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Hot Business News Today

Your guide to Peer Networks

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Originally written by Partner Content on Small Business
The UK has led the way when it comes to SME businesses innovating and collaborating as they seek to scale and grow.
During uncertain economic conditions it is more important than ever for SMEs to work together through their challenges to learn, share and collectively find solutions that can have long-term impact both on their business and the economy.
At times of uncertainty, business owners should not feel they are on their own and by working with like-minded people who know business best, other business leaders, they can ensure they are getting the right support and solutions to prepare them for future growth.
To do this, the government backed Peer Networks has been developed to support businesses in England.
The programme has been created with SMEs in mind and will be delivered by local Growth Hubs, who understand the local business landscape.
How does Peer Networks work?
The programme will see the creation of a series of Peer Networks (cohorts) through the Growth Hub network, with each group consisting of between eight and 11 owners or managers from the SME business community participating in each network.
Led by a professional facilitator, there is no cost to join Peer Networks. Sessions

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