Supporting ambitious entrepreneurs with funding & growing businesses. Paul Grant • Strategic coach & partner to the British Library @BIPC. https://xitter.cf/t.co/ct89yEtbBv
London, England
Joined April 2008
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🎊2️⃣0️⃣🎉 The British Library's national network of Business & IP Centres @BIPC has helped over 300,000 founders, innovators and inventors in the 20 years since opening its doors. 💡 Join us to celebrate and to find out how we can help you turn your idea into a reality! 🤩 bl.uk/bipc/bipc20
ALT 20 years of supporting small businesses with the British Library Business and the Centre. Visit bl.uk/bipc/bipc20 to find out how we can help turn your idea into a reality!
The Funding Game retweeted
A masterpiece in the heart of Victoria, Gozo 😍⛪[🎬 bit.ly/4yzn1h8]
#VisitMalta #Malta #exploremore #faith #baroque
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Every entrepreneur needs these business tips
A blog by By David Bruce OBE, founder of Bruce’s Brewery and the Firkin pubs and author of ‘The Firkin Saga: Brewing up entrepreneurial adventures and pioneering tales with the Prince of Ales’
Read it here buff.ly/DhA7L82
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What was in Andy Burnham’s Labour Party Conference speech for businesses? smeweb.com/what-was-in-andy-…
#lab26 #labconf26 #andyburnham @e_nation @britishchambers @CBItweets @PSKD1 @Lizziepin @DanielWoolf16
Joanna Jensen, founder of @ChildsFarm, shares why EIS/SEIS still fly under the radar and what needs to change. "If you have not heard of the EIS or its sister initiative, the seed enterprise investment scheme (SEIS), you are not alone. Between them, they form one of the most generous early-stage investment incentives of its kind anywhere in the world, aiming to channel private capital into the British businesses that grow our economy. Yet they sit largely unused..." thetimes.com/business/entrep…
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The number of independent bookshops in Britain and Ireland is at a 14-year high. This follows a mini-resurgence in book buying, which, some research suggests, is being driven by young people.
In these days of digital overload, this is a hugely encouraging development. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c95y…
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It's time to have your say 📣
Influence the support we deliver and be represented to key decision-makers in government through the Small Business Barometer.
Complete the survey to be in for a chance to win a £300 voucher ⤵️
ow.ly/8Qx850ZMGk3
In partnership with @NatWestBusiness
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After capturing over 100 hours worth of exposures, I'm pleased to share my latest "Deep Field" image, containing THOUSANDS of galaxies and a brand-new supernova that just kicked off ~2 weeks ago!
Timelapse showing the supernova, prints, and more details in the thread 👇
🎉 Start-up Day is back! Turn your brilliant idea into a business at the British Library Business & IP Centre @BIPC on Tuesday, 24 November. Jargon-free workshops, expert sessions, entrepreneur stories, networking and much more.
🎟️ In-person (@britishlibrary) and online tickets are on sale now: events.bl.uk/events/start-up… Tickets for events at libraries all around the UK will be released soon.
💡 Come with your idea and leave with a plan. We can't wait to see you!
ALT Startup Day 2026 at the British Library Business & IP Centre bl.uk/BIPC Tuesday, 24 November
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Big news 📣
@e_nation and @NatWestBusiness have partnered to support ambitious business owners across the UK.
You'll get access to free co-working hubs, funding opportunities, expert guidance and a community of entrepreneurs.
Sign up to NatWest Accelerator👇
ow.ly/w01150ZAuI1
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Founders, the time is now.
Applications for Slush 100, the world’s most coveted startup competition, are open.
One startup will win €500,000 in front of 12,000 people, equity-free. That's the largest equity-free amount in a startup competition, ever.
We believe bold bets and capital to experiment are more important than ever. So we've rebuilt Slush 100 to give one team exactly that, no strings attached. And it doesn’t end there: the winner also gets to return to speak on our main stage in 2027.
The top 20 will pitch on stage, receive 1:1 mentoring from the Slush network, gain global visibility, and unlock extraordinary access throughout Slush Week.
If your startup was founded in 2023 or later, has raised less than €10M, and is at seed stage or earlier, apply on the Slush Platform.
Applications close on Sep 7 👉 platform.slush.org/public/sl…
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Every founder knows the moment: the customer is mid-sentence and you're already rehearsing your answer.
Marcus Aurelius called this out 2,000 years ago — enter the mind of the speaker.
What did you miss last week because you were waiting to talk?
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Want to win £5000 for your business?
Enterprise Nation and EDF Small Business, supported by NatWest and Square, are giving out £25,000 to help small businesses invest in a greener future. 🌱
Five winners will each receive a £5,000 grant, plus five lucky business owners will win a free workplace EV charger (including installation) from Pod.
Apply today ➡️ ow.ly/snSw50Zq1lt
In partnership with @edfenergy @squareuk @natwestbusiness
#smallbusiness #sustainability
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You don’t live long please please please live your dream!
I will fund one again today!
What’s your dream? 👇🏻
Young founder with a game-changing tech idea? Get funding upfront. The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge (by @Verizon & Unloc) is open to 16-25-year-olds across the UK and Europe with innovative, tech-led business ideas – whether pre-start or early-stage.
Prizes focused on real funding:
• £10,000 cash grant for the overall winner to accelerate their idea or startup
• £1,000 cash for each of the top three Ignite Prize winners (for promising early-stage ideas)
• Plus one-to-one mentorship, masterclasses, and a trip to the One Young World 2027 Summit in Tokyo
No need to ahave big capital already – this is designed to help get your idea off the ground. Applications close 9 October 2026.
👉 Record a short video and apply: youngentrepreneurschallenge.…
ALT youngentrepreneurschallenge.com
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EasyJet agrees to £5.7bn takeover by US firm bbc.in/3Sd2tvb
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Write down the 3-5 things—and no more—that are making you most anxious or uncomfortable.
They’re often things that have been punted from one day’s to-do list to the next, to the next, to the next, and so on.
Most important usually = most uncomfortable, with some chance of rejection or conflict.
For each item, ask yourself:
– “If this were the only thing I accomplished today, would I be satisfied with my day?”
– “Will moving this forward make all the other to-do’s unimportant or easier to knock off later?”
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Founders looking to fundraise?
Students deciding whether to be a founder or get a proper job?
(Just joking, founder is a proper job too... at least that's what I keep telling my wife)
Join me for this in-person event at The Shard tomorrow, Tue 11AM.
luma.com/m9skijqi
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A Soho coffee spot with over 120 years of stories…☕️
Tucked away on Old Compton Street, Algerian Coffee Stores is more than just a coffee shop - it’s a London institution. With its original wooden counter, shelves and display case still in place, stepping inside feels like a journey back in time ✨
From rare single-origin beans and house blends to colourful displays of coffee, teapots and cafetières, there’s something for every coffee lover to discover. A must-visit London gem for your next caffeine fix!
📍Algerian Coffee Stores
#LondonMakesItPossible #VisitLondon #LondonCoffee #HiddenGems #LondonFood
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For UK founders raising from US investors, you'll want a US bank account. The good news is it's incredibly easy to open a US bank account, you don't even need to be in the US. The bad news is if you don't have a US Social Security Number, it can be 6-8 weeks for the IRS to issue your EIN, which blocks you from opening a bank account with most US banks.
The good news is that @SiliconVlyBank has a solution, they can open a US bank account for your UK company without you having to wait on an EIN.
So if you're fundraising and your investor wants to send their funds to a US bank, or you want to avoid those horrible bank forex rates, drop a note to Sara Rona from @SiliconVlyBank to fast-track your US bank account creation.
That's us meeting for coffee at the wonderful Conwell Coffee near Wall Street, my favourite meeting place in New York.
If you're raising from US investors you'll most likely want a Delaware C Corp, which you can create in 30 minutes on @seedlegals, the go-to platform for UK founders expanding to the US and raising from US investors.
THANK YOU to the great group of entrepreneurs who joined us at the beautiful British Library Business & IP Centre this afternoon for ‘Your First Raise’. We worked you hard! 😁
Thanks for your super questions, enthusiasm and support for one another. A link to all the info. and resources from today’s funding session is in your inbox – feel free to contact us with any further questions.
Looking forward to working with some of you very soon. Couldn’t join us this time? Subscribe for updates on future events: linktr.ee/thefundinggame
And remember to check out the amazing support, resources, guides and masterclasses available at the brilliant @BIPC ➜ bl.uk/bipc
ALT The British Library Business & IP Centre, London. bl.uk/bipc