Corporate matchmaking website launched

Businesses looking to grow, recruit and thrive can now log on to the newly launched Velocity Marketplace website, designed to match businesses across the South East Midlands with the exact support they require.

Velocity Marketplace, designed and launched by South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership’s (SEMLEP) Velocity Growth Hub, is the result of extensive research commissioned by SEMLEP in 2015.

This research set out to identify and map all the existing business support available for start-up and small to medium sized established businesses in the South East Midlands – an area which covers Aylesbury, Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Cherwell, Corby, Daventry, Kettering, Luton, Milton Keynes, Northampton and South Northamptonshire.

While significant support was identified, including advice, grants, mentoring and events, the research also concluded that businesses in the South East Midlands faced significant challenges finding and securing the most relevant assistance. Businesses told us how challenging it was having to trawl through hundreds of search results, so Marketplace will give browsers select and very targeted results and also link people with people.

Stephen Catchpole, Chief Executive of SEMLEP, said: “Velocity Marketplace is designed to take the confusion out of business support and to make it more simple and easier for local companies to find and access the exact support that will help them grow, recruit and thrive. Log on, tell us what sort of business support you are seeking, and follow the links so we can match you to a person who can help.

“Velocity Marketplace is not simply a directory of agencies, it is a corporate matchmaking tool that will link business owners and managers to local experts - individuals who can offer everything from business planning advice and mentoring to legal know how, accounting  expertise, exporting and sector specific information.”

Log on to Velocity Marketplace if:

• You are a business seeking support
• You can offer business support to companies in the South East Midlands and would like to be registered as a Marketplace adviser.

Log on to www.velocitymarketplace.com