Birmingham named number one city outside of London for start-ups

New figures released today from StartUp Britain and Centre for Entrepreneurs show that Birmingham is once again the number one city outside of London for start-ups.

In 2018, 18,590 start-up firms formed in the city last year, a rise of 9.68 per cent after accounting for distortions.

The city performed well above the national average, which recorded an increase of 4.65 per cent.

It is the sixth year that the city has outperformed other regional cities for the number of start-ups formed.

However, London still outperforms the region, with 216,204 start-ups formed in 2018, up 5.8 per cent.

Saqib Bhatti, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership  (GBSLEP) director for growing businesses and representing SMEs, and president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce said: “Greater Birmingham provides the ideal environment for entrepreneurs to thrive. Beyond our infrastructure and talent pool, the city and its surrounding areas also have a deep-rooted culture of innovation, creativity and ambition.

“With one of the UK’s youngest and most diverse populations, we can only fulfil the city’s full economic potential if our support for start-ups is as inclusive as possible.

“The GBSLEP and its Growth Hub recently supported a scheme to provide entrepreneurs in the most deprived parts of the region with tailored advice, which has helped more than 200 small businesses to date.”

Posted by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce 14th January 2019