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Dear friends
Hello and I hope our third newsletter finds you well and prospering. Aside from getting bored with the playing the ‘will it, wont it rain' game, the last few weeks have been really good. So good I didn't have the time to compile a newsletter last month but hopefully the news items below will explain why. In this edition:
Octopus Investments
I am proud to announce that we have secured the support of Octopus Investments. Established in 2000 by three guys who had a dream and took a chance, Octopus Investments is now one of the UK's fastest growing tax efficient investment specialists, providing a range of innovative investment products including Venture Capitalist Trusts (they're the leading provider in the UK), UK equities (leading private equity player in sub-£25million deals) and Enterprise Investment Schemes (you guessed it…UK's largest provider again!).
Managing over £500 million of assets Octopus Investments are in a great position to assist us with our investment strategy and with constructing the right deal structures for our beneficiaries. On a very practical level not only have they have made it possible for one of their senior team to work with the Trust as part of their corporate responsibility programme they are also allowing us to make use of their nice offices in Bank (and by the way, they are the Sunday Times top rated UK financial services to work for). Pretty amazing, eh? I know! As a business that is all about empowering tomorrow's entrepreneurs Octopus Investments are a perfect fit with what we are trying to achieve with our target group and I look forward to developing the partnership in the future.
Livity partnership
In the course our work we regularly meet organisations that share our passion for empowering the next generation to fulfil their full potential. Via a kind introduction from Scott Cain at Make Your Mark we have discovered the work of Livity. Livity is a socially-responsible youth marketing agency that takes young people on a journey of personal development and training programmes within the creative industries.
Founded in 2001 by Michelle Clothier and Sam Conniff, Livity are now consulted by government, sought after by big brands, and established as a maverick force in youth communication and understanding across the private and public sector. After meeting a number of Livity's young people we have joined forces to give some of their aspiring entrepreneurs' opportunities to turn their passions into profitable businesses and found a ‘deal flow' partner. If you can help with our ambitions to empower the young people who need it most, then please email us at enquiries@brightideastrust.com.
Bright Ideas Trust & Virgin Media back a ...Bright Idea!
Back in April we announced a fantastic partnership with Virgin Media running a nationwide competition to find a young internet entrepreneur of tomorrow. Our search has concluded and after some difficult deliberations we found our winner!
Adam Scott is the young man behind Beautiful Glass Products. Adam's idea is to collect locally discarded glass and recycle it into saleable goods and market them on line. He already has a range of 32 products which include a glass chopping board and for all you grape juice lovers he has a range of wine glasses too! The competition generated hundreds of responses from young people all across the country and reinforced our belief that far from being the lost, the next generation are full of energy and the desire to achieve. For more details about the competition please visit www.virginmedia.com/sparks and to view my video advice to some of the entrants see the podcast here.
Bright Ideas Trust supports the Prince's Trust Campaign
Last month some of Britain's biggest entrepreneurs launched a campaign to get young people into business and the Bright Ideas Trust was right there with them.
I joined Peter Cruddas, Charles Dunstone, Lord Billimoria, founder of Cobra beer, Travelex founder Lloyd Dorfman and BBC Dragons' Den stars Deborah Meaden and James Caan, to launch the campaign with HRH The Prince of Wales to mark the 25th anniversary of The Prince's Trust Business Programme. HRH The Prince of Wales said, "This particular venture has, I hope, made a successful contribution to this country's economy and a valuable investment in the nation's future. The Prince's Trust believes that an enterprising spirit helps people to help themselves, just as I do which is why we are working collaboratively with the Prince's Trust in supporting young people to start enterprises.
Promoting Social Enterprise
In my role as a Social Enterprise Ambassador I have been travelling across the country banging the drum for social enterprise to young and old(er!) alike. I was fortunate enough to present to a group of 14 – 19 year olds at the Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service about the potential of social enterprise as a viable business model for them to pursue. The group were fantastic and once again I was encouraged by the focus and energy the young people displayed and the brilliant ideas they came up with. The winner is now actually being supported by the NPT CVS which is fantastic news.
I also had the privilege of speaking at the Communities and Local Government conference with the aim of getting established government supported voluntary partner organisations to think about encouraging young people into social enterprise and how to sustain their models. Oh yeah, I'm also getting married to my beautiful partner of 11 years this weekend! Can it get any better??? If anyone knows any effective sun dances please send me the YouTube link! So that's all for this edition of BIT news. Social enterprise is no longer the Third Sector but is slowly progressing to become the Champions League business model. Everyday I hear and see more people who ‘get' how business can be a force for good. The hope that a better tomorrow can be created by focusing the dynamism of capitalism towards social issues keeps me focused and there are more and more of us who share the same optimism. Sound idealistic? I know, but imagine if Dr. King never had a dream… Thanks for reading and let's keep doing all we can to empower tomorrow's entrepreneurs. If you haven't seen our previous newsletters, then click here. Best wishes,  Founder
The Bright Ideas Trust
Empowering Tomorrow's Entrepreneurs Cabinet Office Social Enterprise Ambassador If you no longer wish to receive newsletters updates please reply STOP to enquiries@brightideastrust.com |