Goldman Sachs Announces 10,000 Small Businesses UK National Alumni Network

London, November 9, 2012 – Goldman Sachs today announced the next stage in the development of its 10,000 Small Businesses UK (10KSB UK) programme with the launch of the 10,000 Small Businesses UK National Alumni Network. 

A forum to foster peer-to-peer engagement and opportunities between 10KSB UK participants as they continue to grow their businesses and drive job creation, the Network will develop a schedule of national and regional conferences, themed workshops and online platforms structured around relevant business topics.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:  “It’s important that businesses have access to the right advice and support to develop their operations and grow, which is why we launched the Business in You campaign.

“Over 99 per cent of UK businesses are small and medium enterprises, so I welcome Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses UK initiative as a real contributor to the wider support available."

The Network is open to participants of 10KSB UK, a programme established in 2010 by Goldman Sachs to support high potential small businesses and commercially-oriented social enterprises in the UK as they innovate, grow and create employment.  Now operational across four regions – Yorkshire & Humberside, the North West, the Midlands and Greater London - the programme has enrolled approximately 400 participants to date and continues to grow.

 “We are already seeing real signs of the benefits that the participants from 10KSB UK realize from networking with each other,” said Michelle Pinggera, chief of staff EMEA Goldman Sachs. “By creating this national network we will be able to help facilitate and further enhance the possibilities for participants across the country to meet and work together, identifying opportunities to really maximize their growth potential.”

The National Alumni Network will be managed by Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Said Business School  in partnership with the 10KSB UK academic partners – Leeds University Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, Aston Business School and University College London.  

10,000 Small Businesses UK

10,000 Small Businesses in the UK is an initiative to unlock the growth and job creation potential of small businesses and social enterprises across the United Kingdom through providing the resources they need to grow, including greater access to business education and business support services. It is based on the broadly held view of leading experts that a combination of education and support services best addresses the barriers to growth for small businesses.

The programme is based on an innovative and successful approach to supporting entrepreneurs, as developed through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative and the 10,000 Small Businesses programme launched in the United States in 2009. A programme tailored specifically for the UK market was brought to Yorkshire in 2010 and then to the North West of England in 2011, the Midlands in autumn 2011 and London in early 2012.

10,000 Small Businesses in the UK is funded by Goldman Sachs and the Goldman Sachs Foundation.


Media Contact:
Sophie Bullock
Goldman Sachs
0207 774 4012
Sophie.bullock@gs.com