Government plans capital fund for small hi-tech firms
The government has announced details of a venture capital fund designed to support small technology businesses.
The innovation fund forms part of the government’s new industrial strategy, Building Britain’s Future.
The government itself will put £150 million in the fund with the aim that matching investments from the private sector will see as much as £1 billion raised over the coming years.
Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister said: “This fund will help build Britain’s future by investing in key sectors. It will provide crucial support for our most promising start-ups and existing small companies just when they need it most.
“Venture capital finance is the lifeblood of innovation and crucial to ensuring the commercialisation of the discoveries coming out of our research base. The fund will boost future UK competitiveness.”
Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, added: “In our New Industry New Jobs strategy we identified access to venture capital as one of the critical factors in developing innovative new companies in Britain. The UK Innovation Investment Fund will be a shot in the arm for the British venture capital industry.
“It is also a challenge to UK venture capitalists to follow the Government’s lead in backing British entrepreneurs in building exciting new companies, investing in new technologies and creating jobs.”
The fund, which was initially outlined in the Budget, will be targeted at firms making hi-tech products. It will operate on a Fund of Funds structure. This means it will not invest directly in companies but rather invest in a small number of specialist technology funds that have the expertise and track record needed to decide which firms require support.
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BRAND NEW DOMAINS
BRAND NEW DOMAINS
Businesses will be able to use their own names in place of domain extensions such as .com, .org, .net, or .co.uk, when so-called ‘brand domains’ are launched in January. The change will allow companies like Ford and Nike to control their own domain and better exploit their brands, as well as countering cyber-squatters who buy variations of brand names using the 280 or so domain extensions already available.
The organisation that oversees domain names, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), will start taking applications for the new top-level domains early next year, but according to Future Laboratory, which conducted research last month, the majority of companies are unaware of the move. “This change has not yet permeated into the mainstream for businesses or consumers”, said a spokesman. ICANN is expecting a low response, limited initially to large companies, because the new domains will be priced at over £10,000 when they are first made available early next year.
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Star Wars Kid – One of my all time favourites.
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UK Folding Plug concept
We hate plugs. Especially when you have to put them in your bag and they don’t quite fit, or they scratch up your laptop. UK plugs are some of the biggest in the world, and that irked one designer enough to totally re-imagine them.
The folding plug concept has been visited before, but never to this radical a degree. The new design measures just 1cm thick when collapsed, but takes a moment to fold out for use.
Although there are currently no plans to put it into production that we’re aware of, we’d love to be packing this in our laptop bags rather than the chunky models we’re currently stuck with.
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What is a server, and do I really need one?
It’s no surprise that 31 percent of small businesses are concerned about the impact of the economic downturn, or that 52 per cent expect the situation to get worse over the coming months*. But rather than just sitting tight, isn’t it more important than ever to look for ways to improve spending and become more competitive?
Get the tools to go further
Currently, 14 per cent of small business owners, like you, are working over 60 hours a week** to keep business moving forward. But few know that a server can help you work faster, smarter and boost competitiveness – freeing up more of your time to go out and beat the competition.
Servers aren’t only big-business technology. Microsoft has built a range specifically to meet the needs of small businesses, helping you to:
- Access all your files from a central location – so you no longer have to rely on unsafe USB sticks, dongles and e-mail attachments
- Access files through a secure Internet connection – allowing you and your employees to work from home, so you can free up valuable office space and spend less time stuck in rush hour traffic
- Extend the lifespan of your desktop and laptop PCs – by letting your server take over most of their workload
Find out more
“A server is a computer, separate to the personal machines used by your staff, designed to take on all sorts of management jobs”.
“They are the Swiss Army Knife of business technology – nothing much to look at, but useful for just about everything, surprisingly affordable, and being used by millions around the UK for more purpose than you’ll ever find in the instruction manual.”
* Source: AMI SMB Poll
** Source: Hiscox Poll
Further Information Downloads:
- Networking Basics Guide
- Small Business Server 2008 Datasheet
- Top Ten Reasons to use Windows Small Business Server 2008
- Why Upgrade to Windows Small Business Server 2008
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