Global Entrepreneurship Week, the worldwide celebration of entrepreneurship, returns for its 18th year this week. To mark the occassion, 28 leading founders have shared their views on the most impactful actions needed to help entrepreneurs flourish in the UK.
Alastair Lukies CBE, entrepreneur and chief engagement officer, Endava:
“If we want to see entrepreneurship truly thrive in the UK, we need to focus our energy on British scale-ups. These are the high-growth businesses that have moved beyond the start-up phase and are capable of delivering outsized economic and social impact. They are highly productive firms that create high skilled jobs, attract investment, look to expand overseas, and inspire the next generation of founders.
A practical way of helping scale-ups is by smoothing their route to market. One of Endava’s initiatives, Dava. Rise, supports high-potential B2B scale-ups by deploying their technology and solutions within global enterprises. The project helps scale-ups turn innovative ideas into scalable, commercial success, and simultaneously provides large corporates with a way to provide pioneering products and services to their customers.
Alex Stephany, founder and CEO, Beam:
“If we don’t create the best conditions for entrepreneurship to thrive in the UK, many founders will leave to the US, Dubai or elsewhere – taking jobs and innovation with them.
“Ensuring entrepreneurship brings the same prosperity and security to the UK as it has to the US starts with government: incentivising the flow of cash into start-ups through taxation, the flow of talent into start-ups through improving EMI and Entrepreneur’s Relief and visas for technical talent, and ensuring government partners with the best British startups to make the UK the global leader in GovTech.”
Annoushka Ducas MBE, founder, Links of London and Annoushka:
“Entrepreneurship happens when creativity and collaboration collide. I’ve always found that the most exciting ideas come from working with people who think differently: goldsmiths, craftsmen, designers, digital storytellers, and financiers. Each brings a different skill, a different eye.
“If we want entrepreneurship to really thrive in the UK, we need to make more space for those kinds of creative partnerships where ideas can grow and be made real. Collaboration is what turns imagination into something tangible, something that lasts.”
Anuj Gupta, founder, Greenvan:
“The most impactful catalyst for entrepreneurship would be building communities where knowledge, support, and inspiration circulate freely. Real-life mentorship, practical access to networks, and hands-on guidance, turning bold ideas into solid businesses.
“By fostering a dynamic environment where challenges are met with support and solutions, we must invest in the human side of enterprise: confidence, collaboration, and curiosity. Entrepreneurship flourishes when ideas, capital, and mentorship are easily available in an open ecosystem.”
Brett Wigdortz OBE, founder, Teach First and Tiney.co:
“If we want entrepreneurship to really thrive in the UK, we have to make it feel possible for anyone, wherever they start in life. The best ideas are already out there, often from people who have seen a problem up close and want to fix it.
“What many lack isn’t talent or drive, but access and encouragement. I’ve seen time and again that when someone believes in you early on, it can change everything. We need to build a culture that celebrates people who take a chance to do something better, not just for themselves but for their communities.
“Britain’s next generation of entrepreneurs will come from every background, and the more we open doors for them, starting from the youngest ages, through to great teachers who believe in them, and onwards to support post-school, the stronger and fairer our economy will be.”
Carol Shanahan OBE, co-founder, Synectics Solutions:
“The most impactful thing we can do to help entrepreneurship thrive in the UK is to create the conditions for people to be the best version of themselves. That means giving them opportunities, support, and belief. Entrepreneurship isn’t just about ideas or money; it’s about people – their confidence, their resilience, and their sense of purpose. When we build communities rooted in kindness, trust, and collaboration, people flourish.
“We have to see potential, not problems, and make it easier for individuals from all backgrounds to take that first step. Business can and should be a force for good, creating jobs, hope, and pride in places that need it most. If we invest in people as much as in profit, we’ll unlock the creativity, energy, and compassion that drive real change. It’s about lifting each other up and believing that success is best when it’s shared.”
Claude Littner, businessperson and BBC TV’s The Apprentice interviewer:
“Successful entrepreneurship is built on strong teams and clear leadership. It requires recruiting, developing and leading people in genuine teamwork, recognising endeavour and promoting excellence. Great entrepreneurs keep their teams informed of new initiatives, actively seeking their input to create a culture of shared ownership.
“But leadership extends beyond the immediate team. Forward-thinking entrepreneurs constantly study their competition, not just their products, but their structures, systems and efficiencies. They look outward, forging links across the wider business community, both domestically and internationally, building relationships with MPs, government officials and others in public life. Successful entrepreneurs manage their finances prudently, avoiding vanity projects whilst ensuring tax obligations are met on time and within the law.
“Crucially, they recognise that sustainable success requires maintaining a healthy lifestyle to manage the inevitable stress of entrepreneurial responsibility. This holistic approach, combining people leadership, strategic thinking, financial discipline and personal wellbeing, separates thriving businesses from those that merely survive.”
Charles Wigoder, chair, Telecom Plus:
“The single largest barrier to entrepreneurship in the UK, which has increased unremittingly over the last 40 years, is the escalating burden of government regulation.
Compliance in many areas of the economy is no longer something that a founder can do in a few hours a month, but requires expensive and dedicated full time teams. It doesn’t discriminate between start-ups and large established businesses. By way of example, the number of requests for information (RFIs) issued by OFGEM to domestic energy suppliers has increased from zero when I started Utility Warehouse to over 300 last year, requiring a full-time team of 18 people at an annual cost of circa £1m. Sadly, this is but one example amongst many.”
Dr Koolesh Shah, founder, London Town Group:
“The most impactful way to help entrepreneurship thrive in the UK is to invest in people. Through the work of the Koolesh Shah Family Foundation, we are passionate about mentorship and promoting social mobility, helping talented individuals from all backgrounds access opportunities, guidance, and support.
“Entrepreneurship succeeds when people are encouraged to take risks, learn from experience, and connect with networks that open doors. By nurturing ambition, creativity and resilience, and by providing practical support alongside inspiration, we can help the next generation of entrepreneurs build businesses that drive innovation, create jobs and make a meaningful difference to society.”
Dr Robert Kilgour, founder and CEO, Dow Investments:
“We need much improved communication, collaboration and understanding between business and government. This is absolutely key to the achieving of better productivity and performance results at the ‘coal face’ – leading to more economic growth being delivered for the British economy. It is not rocket science, it is basic common sense. Business and entrepreneurs can be the engine of economic growth, but you cannot run the engine without fuel or power of some kind, or arrive at your planned destination without the use of a map or GPS.
“Without a real and meaningful partnership between business and government – ‘it takes two to tango’ – we will be doomed to a downward spiral into a ‘why bother’ economy which would be a truly disastrous outcome for all of us. It is also essential for there to be genuine trust between business and government. They both have to be fully committed and invested in the journey together – otherwise failure will sadly be the almost certain result.”
Grace Graham, founder and CEO, WorkSpa:
“To help entrepreneurship thrive in the UK, we must make it truly accessible. That means investing in people, not just ideas, nurturing creativity, confidence, and wellbeing from the classroom to the boardroom. I grew up in Hackney, in a community where opportunity often felt out of reach for many.
“I was fortunate to receive support from The King’s Trust, which helped me find my path. We need fair and inclusive funding models that value social impact as much as innovation, with clearer guidance, flexible criteria, and transparency. We also need visible role models and safe community spaces that help people imagine more than what they see around them. Entrepreneurship is a powerful tool for change, but only when we level the playing field. When people feel seen, supported, and well, innovation thrives. A thriving entrepreneurial culture begins with human sustainability.”
Greg Jackson CBE, founder and CEO, Octopus Energy:
“We need to maintain our very effective investment schemes (EIS and SEIS), and in parallel open up greater access to capital in the growth stage.”
Harry Hyman, founder and chair, Primary Health Properties:
“Entrepreneurs need to see government set out a consistent narrative arc supporting growth in the economy, providing a stable and incentivised reason to grow and retain businesses in the UK. Capital and human resources are mobile, and Britain has tremendous attractions, from the rule of law to the English language. With a clear strategy prioritising economic growth and fostering an enterprise culture, the UK can be the natural home for ambitious businesses.”
Jamie Waller, founder, JBW Group:
“The most impactful thing we can do to help entrepreneurship thrive in the UK is to get out of entrepreneurs’ way. Starting a business means risking everything – your health, your money, and your wellbeing – in pursuit of something brilliant. We should celebrate and reward those who take that leap.
“Imagine a UK where founders and the people who join them pay less tax for the first 10 years of a start-up’s life – a recognition that building something from nothing is one of the hardest, most valuable contributions to our economy for the founders and the early employees that join them.”
Joanna Jensen, founder, Childs Farm:
“If female founders had equal access to capital and opportunity, the UK economy could be £310 billion bigger. This fact is detailed in a recent Women and Equalities Committee report on female entrepreneurship. By directing just 10% of investment specifically to women it would be a game changing for economic growth in the UK, as well as helping to reignite the IPO runway. Patient capital investment led by the British Business Bank and supported by angel investors, EIS Funds and even crowd funders into female founded and led businesses could be transformational across multiple sectors.
“Whilst the lens of government investment is largely focused on Al, tech and life science businesses, brilliant innovation in other sectors is losing out on investment. From beauty to food to health, if the investment funds become sector agnostic, we could see tangible change across multiple areas of business, giving broader employment opportunities and diversifying sector investment risk.”
John Cotterell, founder and CEO, Endava:
“The UK is a fantastic place for entrepreneurs, with so many strengths and competitive advantages. It has created over 180 unicorns to date, ranking third globally behind only the US and China. This fertile environment for enterprise is why we have decided to launch Dava. Rise, a new programme designed to connect high-potential scale-ups with global enterprises seeking to accelerate innovation. For entrepreneurship to continue to thrive here, we need founders, venture capital, finance and government to all be pulling in the same direction.”
John Roberts, founder and CEO, AO:
“We should foster a culture that encourages, celebrates and enables entrepreneurs to start and grow innovative businesses. In reality, success is viewed with envy, stumbles are lambasted and the government appears determined to stifle growth by increasing taxes and red tape. In that environment only the bravest will try.”
Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea CBE DL, founder, Cobra Beer:
“When I first came to the UK in the early 1980s, this country was known as the ‘sick man of Europe’. Today, it stands proudly as one of the most entrepreneurial nations in the world. Despite having just 1% of the world’s population, the UK consistently ranks among the top five countries globally for the number of unicorns – a true testament to the power of innovation, ambition, and enterprise.
“To help entrepreneurship thrive further, we must continue to build supportive ecosystems – connecting entrepreneurs with capital, mentorship, and opportunity. Collaboration across business, government, and education is the key to sustaining this extraordinary momentum. Together, we build.”
Martin Leuw, founder, Growth4Good:
“The most impactful thing we can do to help entrepreneurship thrive in the UK is to make it more inclusive, accessible, and rewarding for young people. We need to embed entrepreneurial education early, teaching creativity, problem-solving, and resilience through hands-on projects that connect schools and universities with real businesses.
“Expanding access to mentoring, funding, and networks-especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds-will help unlock talent and close opportunity gaps.
“Equally important is fostering a culture of ownership. Simplifying and incentivising broad-based employee share schemes would allow more young people to experience the financial and emotional rewards of building successful businesses. When employees have a real stake, they think and act like entrepreneurs, driving innovation and growth from within. By combining education, access, and ownership, we can build a generation of entrepreneurial leaders who create purposeful, scalable ventures that strengthen the UK’s economy and society.”
Maya Moufarek, founder, Marketingcube.co:
”The most impactful thing we can do for UK entrepreneurship is create a culture that celebrates ambition and aspiration. As someone who has built in diverse locations, including the Silicon Valley and London, I’ve seen this cultural gap first-hand. In Silicon Valley, ambition is your entry ticket, and you immediately belong. Risk-taking isn’t just tolerated, it’s expected. Failure is treated as a learning opportunity, not a reason to give up.
“The UK has the ingredients: world-class universities, deep capital markets, talented entrepreneurs solving real problems. We now need to match those strengths with a mindset that truly backs the builders. We need to send a clear signal: if you’re talented, hardworking, and ready to build something significant, Britain doesn’t just offer a path to success. It actively wants you to succeed spectacularly. When we learn to celebrate ambition and risk, we’ll unlock the full potential of entrepreneurship in this country.”
Mike Clare, founder, Dreams Plc:
“Starting a successful business takes more than just having a good idea. It requires a spark of skill, a stroke of luck and shedloads of hard work. Yes, it’s risky, but if building something great, profitable and worthwhile was easy, everyone would be doing it! However, if you’re passionate and ready to create something meaningful that will secure your future, then embrace the challenge and accept the risk.
“Make sure your family and partner are with you on the journey as their support will be your anchor when the seas get rough. Expect highs and lows, wins and setbacks; it’s all part of the entrepreneurial journey.
“Inspire your customers, your staff, your suppliers and your investors. Excite them, take them on your journey and make them part of your mission. Build a dynamic team and surround yourself with young, hungry, ambitious people. Invest in them, grow with them and reward their loyalty. Your business is your baby. It needs your energy, your care and your relentless focus. Make your dreams a reality.”
Nick Jenkins, founder, Moonpig.com:
“The Enterprise Investment Scheme has encouraged funding of 4,000 new businesses every year worth around £2 billion. Most of this money comes from successful entrepreneurs who are keen to support the next generation of founders with seed funding and, more importantly, with advice and support that would be difficult to find elsewhere.
“Moonpig was largely funded by EIS investors, many of whom gave me advice that saved us from failure. In return, I have supported over thirty start-ups through EIS funding since 2008. The start-up phase of a business is the hardest to support and the best people to do it are experienced entrepreneurs. Every successful entrepreneur should see it as their responsibility to help the next generation. The role of the government is to ensure that it doesn’t interfere with a system that has worked well for 30 years.”
Nick Wheeler OBE, founder and chair, Charles Tyrwhitt:
“For entrepreneurship to thrive, we must first find the entrepreneurs. It’s not easy. Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. All are important, but the real gems are the ones who are committed not to making money for themselves, but have the passion and ambition to build something big and for the long term. We must then back them and remove all barriers to growth. Long term compound growth is key.
“Building a business from zero to £10m is 10 times harder than taking it from £10m to £100m and yet too many entrepreneurs get taken out early. Find the right people to build long term, large businesses. People with the passion to create something special. People like Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, or Michael Dell. People who understand that being an entrepreneur is about creating legacy and a strong economy. It is not just a route to an easy life.”
Sam Smith, founder, SuperScalers and finnCap:
“To help entrepreneurship thrive, we need to make ambition contagious. We must celebrate the entrepreneurs building businesses that create jobs, solve problems and change lives not just in London, but in every community.
“Inclusive entrepreneurship is how we unlock the UK’s full potential. When more women, diverse founders and regional entrepreneurs have the belief, networks and capital to build big, we fuel innovation, drive regional growth and start to close the wealth gap.
“At The SuperScalers, we champion ambition in all its forms especially for female founders and underrepresented groups – helping founders scale to £50m and beyond while staying true to their purpose. Inclusion isn’t a side issue; it’s the growth engine. Entrepreneurship has the power to solve problems, strengthen communities and reshape the economy for good. Let’s make it as inclusive as possible. Celebrate ambition. Be bold. Together, we build.”
Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman, S4 Capital plc:
“Certainly, the UK government could change the base capital gains tax rules to make it more attractive to accumulate capital over time, hange inheritance taxes to make it more attractive to build capital and pass on to future generations, or even stimulate investment in listed equities by institutions and individuals.
“However, the more fundamental issue is the need to celebrate and laud entrepreneurial success, as happens in the USA. Even in China entrepreneurial success may be more admired. The issue that needs confronting is that too often we don’t hold successful entrepreneurs in high regard – they are not seen as ‘working people.'”
Sir Stelios Haji-loannou, creator and owner, The easy family of brands:
“The most impactful way to help entrepreneurship thrive in the UK and throughout the world is through encouragement, mentoring, rewarding talent, and promoting role models for the next generation. From an early age, people should be inspired to be creative, take calculated risks, and experience the rewards of being their own boss. They should understand the self-fulfilment of creating jobs and economic growth in the process. That’s exactly what I aim to do through my annual entrepreneurship awards, which provide hundreds of thousands of pounds in no-strings-attached prizes to young and disabled entrepreneurs across the UK – as well as Cyprus and the island of Ireland – via my charitable foundation.”
Surinder Arora, founder and chairman, Arora Group:
“In today’s UK economy, marked by cautious optimism and global uncertainty, businesses need to be supported with an improved framework which rewards innovation. When government, investors and communities align around inclusive growth, entrepreneurship becomes vital!
“Hospitality is more than a service; it’s an infrastructure for connection and commerce. With rising costs, staffing shortages and now the hike in business rates for many businesses, the pressure of job losses in the hospitality sector is at a critical high. Regulation and policy need to be streamlined to enhance entrepreneurial outcomes.
“We need to invest in global hubs like Heathrow, which is not just an airport, it is a gateway to opportunity where local ambition meets global demand. It is important to champion diverse founders who understand the evolving needs of the traveller. Legislation must mirror the evolving needs of UK entrepreneurs.”
Tim Campbell MBE, co-founder, Bright Trust Ideas and Marketing Runners; BBC TV’s The Apprentice judge:
“If you want UK entrepreneurship to thrive, fix the time gap between doing the work and getting paid. Commit to paying small suppliers in 10 business days for invoices under £50,000, and create a shared onramp where a founder is vetted once and can sell to many buyers.
“Cash flow and access beat grants and press releases. This is not charity. It is a better operating model for growth. Pay fast and open the door wide, and you will see more jobs, more innovation, and stronger local economies within months. Entrepreneurship is not short of talent or energy. It is short of time to cash and chances to prove it. Fix payments. Build access. Jobs follow.”