Entrepreneurial Spark seeks to fire up firms

Jim Duffy of ESpark, left, with Haydn Thomas, centre, and Gordon Merrylees of NatWest/RBS. Picture: Contributed

Supported by Royal Bank of Scotland and its subsidiary NatWest, ESpark will open a “hatchery” in Bristol capable of accommodating up to 80 businesses.

Entrepreneurs from across the region are being invited to apply for a free accelerator programme at the hub, offering support, mentoring, networking and office accommodation.

Espark chief executive Jim Duffy said: “Our three Scottish business incubators have so far supported 350 fledging entrepreneurs and created more than 1,000 jobs. Building on our relationship with RBS and NatWest has allowed us to expand into eight new cities, including Birmingham and now Bristol.

“Launching in the south-west is very exciting. Bristol is a city with a growing entrepreneurial culture, and potential.”

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