Dell launches £10m tech fund for UK entrepreneurs

published 20 November 2013

Dell has set aside 10 million in funding to help UK entrepreneurs get access to the technology they need to make their business ideas a success.

To qualify for funding, applicants will need to fill out an assessment demonstrating their current funding model and future growth plans.

The scheme forms part of the UK launch of the Dell Centre for Entrepreneurs, which is designed to provide start-ups with access to funding, mentoring and technical support to aid the growth of their operations.

To support the initiative, Dell has set up an advisory council of business leaders and technology experts who will meet each quarter to discuss issues with members of the UK entrepreneurial community.

The council plans to run networking and educational events and will be headed up by Tim Griffin, vice president and managing director for Dell UK, and Ingrid Vanderveldt, Dell's entrepreneur in residence.

The vendor is also launching a competition on 2 December to give two start-ups access to free office space for a year at Dell's Bracknell campus. It will also provide them with the notebooks, servers and storage they need to run their businesses.

Furthermore, the winning pair of companies will benefit from mentoring by the Dell team, and will be given access to other facilities and services on offer at the Bracknell site. They will also become members of the firm's advisory council.

Applicants have until 14 February 2014 to enter the competition, and will have to submit a business plan and video setting out why technology is important to the way they operate.

"Michael Dell founded the company almost 30 years ago and ever since, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit have been the hallmarks of our business and company culture," explained Griffin.

"We believe technology is a necessary part of growing a thriving business and strive to help entrepreneurs leverage technology to take ideas from start-up to success. Our new Dell UK Centre for Entrepreneurs allows us to do just that."

Caroline Donnelly is the news and analysis editor of IT Pro and its sister site Cloud Pro, and covers general news, as well as the storage, security, public sector, cloud and Microsoft beats. Caroline has been a member of the IT Pro/Cloud Pro team since March 2012, and has previously worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.