Proudly supporting the government’s StartUp Britain initiative

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Prime Minister David Cameron is today (28 March 2011) announcing StartUp Britiain, a government initiative designed to help startups and entrepreneurs drive business growth across the UK.

The prime minister is expected to say: "I want to make a direct appeal to everyone who's sitting at home or at their desk thinking about starting their own business. Now is the time to do it.

"If you've been turning over a good idea for years - now is the time to make something of it. If you're working for a big firm but know you could do a better job on your own - now is the time to make the leap.

"If you're dreaming about starting up the next great British brand - now is the time to make it happen."

Microsoft UK's pledge to help train 5,000 startups

Microsoft UK is proud to support StartUp Britain with a pledge to help train 5,000 startups in how to use technology to drive their business and marketing activities. We’re offering free technology resources worth up to £400 per company:

  • Webinars and seminars – we are building a series of web/seminars to train 5,000 businesses. (Dates and times will be confirmed soon, so check our StartUp Britain website for more details (tbc).
  • A free 90-day trial of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to help you manage your customer relationships and sales pipeline. Worth £370 (Ts & Cs apply – download from our StartUp Britain website.)
  • A head-start on online advertising with Bing and Microsoft. Worth £30
  • A free 60-day trial of Microsoft Office, the essential software suite for managing a small business.

We’d love to feature your start-up stories in our newsletters and blogs; you can contact us via Twitter, Facebook, and email.

Learn more about Microsoft’s StartUp Britain pledge.

Check out the official government StartUp Britain website. The launch follows last week's Budget which raised entrepreneurial tax reliefs, created 21 enterprise zones offering tax breaks, and promised less red tape and high speed broadband in an effort to help new firms grow.