Good news for entrepreneurs - Leicester named one of the best places to start a business

Leicester has been named as one of the best places in the UK to start a business.

The city came second to Aberdeen in the study which indexed the UK’s 30 largest locations according to factors including business survival rates, costs and access to skilled staff.



Aron Press, of Solopress which compiled the report Start-Up Britain, said: “The Midlands has been catapulted into a new business boom. The city’s sporting success may have played a large role in that growth.”

The city came second to Aberdeen in the poll, with cities including London and Manchester coming down the list largely due to variables like leasing costs and average salary.

It comes as Leicester was named the best place in the country for tech start-ups in the Tech Nation report. 

Professor Dana Brown, PVC Dean (Enterprise) and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law, said: “These findings confirm what we at De Montfort University well know – that there is a real entrepreneurial spirit to be found in Leicester; a dynamism coupled with resilience and an ability to reinvent and adapt to new customer and market needs.

“Leicester punches well above its weight in terms of entrepreneurial ambition and I’m proud to see our students and graduates joining the ranks of new start-ups here in the city in ever-increasing numbers. We ensure DMU is with them every step of the way.”

DMU runs a raft of specialist support programmes for new business including its co-working café open to all at the Innovation Centre.

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The university also runs The Crucible – a two-year scheme for graduates to help them turn an idea into a thriving business, backed by real business mentors; its new Entrepreneurs In Residence programme which offers support to start-ups and new businesses.

Its monthly Connect at the Co-Working Café series has seen speakers from a variety of industries come to DMU to talk about their business journeys and inspirations.

Oliver Shepherd is on the current Crucible programme, developing his sports platform. He said: “When you leave university you feel like you on your own support-wise, so it’s great that DMU is doing this. Crucible has been integral to supporting my business and the mentoring I have had so far has enabled me to pivot and develop.”