HMRC found that in 2021, there was a 14% year-on-year increase in the number of new startups created in the UK, with March of last year seeing more launched than any month since records began. There was also a particular increase in online retailers during the peak of pandemic lockdowns in 2020, with 770,000 new businesses created that year – an all-time UK record.
‘We have a generation of talent who are embracing entrepreneurship and who want to capitalise on the opportunities of technology.’
The digital era that has emerged from this time has disrupted the types of careers people both aspire to and want to create for themselves. Organisations hoping to keep up with this change must adapt and encourage their talent to explore entrepreneurial creativity in abundance.
Put simply, we have a generation of talent who are embracing entrepreneurship and who want to capitalise on the opportunities of technology. The responsibility for large organisations like ourselves is to help them do so.
Internal innovation
Firstly, we must embrace entrepreneurship and foster a workplace where our people feel confident to express themselves and work in a more self-starting way – this requires giving them choice about when and where they work, and cultivating a fluid, dynamic and innovative culture.
As we have looked at previously, the changing role of the company CIO – which has gone from a chief ‘information’ officer to a chief ‘innovation’ officer – shows how businesses are embracing entrepreneurship. “Hybrid” CIOs are powering their organisations’ competitiveness in the modern world through digital transformation, looking to emerging technologies to power their business growth and power the future of their industries.
‘If we cannot encourage individuals to come and work for Dell, then the next step for us is to help them create the next Dell.’
Entrepreneurs are also driven by purpose and so, we are seeing both customers and talent come to Dell Technologies because of what we offer in terms of social impact: our work to advance sustainability, cultivate inclusion, uphold ethics and privacy, and transform lives. It is by operating with moonshot goals like these and having an ambitious, clear vision to work towards, that employees will see the future they want to create.
Inspiring entrepreneurs
Beyond making our own organisations more innovative, businesses must remember that at some point, they were all the product of an entrepreneurial founder. Dell Technologies is one of the ultimate examples of this – now one of the world’s biggest companies, but in fact a case study of entrepreneurial success, built on the creative vision of a single person.
And so, just as important as embracing innovation within our organisation, is nurturing a wider entrepreneurial ecosystem. If we cannot encourage individuals to come and work for Dell, then the next step for us is to help them create the next Dell.
Starting out or scaling is an important and exciting time for any business owner and having the right technology can make all the difference. It is with this mindset that Dell Technologies champions entrepreneurs and start-ups through innovation. We provide entrepreneurs and their businesses with free, one-to-one advice and professional support on all their tech requirements, with end-to-end solutions that will support growing businesses to reach their full potential. Benefits for entrepreneurs include a dedicated startup advisor, who can provide recommendations and insights into their IT infrastructure, and access to high impact startup accelerators and incubators that can support their growth.
Collaborating with partners
Dell Technologies works with a number of entrepreneur accelerator programmes, including the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator – the UK’s largest free business accelerator network, capable of supporting over 1,000 entrepreneurs per year simultaneously in its 13 hubs based throughout the country. It offers a comprehensive programme of free mentoring, insight and bespoke coaching, specifically designed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs who want to grow and scale their business.
We have also been a partner to the innovation company Plexal, since December 2018, coaching start-ups, delivering workshops and seminars on cyber-threat insights for its cyber accelerator programme, sharing advanced technology strategies and connecting teams with senior Dell Technologies leadership for mentorship.
We also support further streams of activity, through our sponsorship of the Startup Awards National Series – which recognise the achievements of entrepreneurial individuals who have had a great idea, spotted an opportunity and taken the risks to launch a new product or service across the UK – and the Great British Entrepreneur Awards – a supportive community and celebration of entrepreneurship. Both of these sponsorships allow us to support and assist entrepreneurs with their business endeavours.
Advancing female entrepreneurship
Dell Technologies is also committed to accelerating the increasingly powerful role that women play in driving global economic growth.
As part of our mission to equip every woman in every region in the UK with digital skills, we’ve created STEMASPIRE, a 12-month mentoring programme designed to help keep more female STEM students on the path to technology careers.
And the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) connects women entrepreneurs around the globe with networks, knowledge and insight that gives them power to do more. Through DWEN, Dell Technologies empowers women founders and aspiring entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and their vision through the access to technology, expansion of their personal networks, learning and funding resources.
The community welcomes all levels of entrepreneurs, from start-ups to scale-ups, giving them access to peers from around the world and valuable resources to grow their business. This includes providing discounts for the latest Dell technology and, launching in the UK in September 2022, the annual DWEN Dream Tech Contest, where up to £50,000 worth of Dell technology will be divided between 4 finalists. In addition to funding resources, DWEN provides networking opportunities through its local chapters, global virtual and in person events, and best practice advice from a global network of its members.
Knowledge is power. And as part of its thought leadership and commitment to women entrepreneurs, Dell Technologies has set out to benchmark and rate cities on their ability to attract and support High-Potential Women Entrepreneurs (HPWE). The DWEN WeCities Index, previously updated in 2019, is set to be refreshed ahead of International Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on November 19th, 2022. The research ranks a selection of global cities, how they compare to previous years, each other, and provides actionable insights and opportunities for local city government officials.
DWEN has impacted more than 80,000 women globally since 2009 and has seen Dell Technologies spend $3bn annually with female and minority-owned suppliers and small businesses.
By spotlighting the entrepreneurial success, failures and lessons learned in a supportive and unique forum, DWEN enables a community of like-minded women to share experiences, lift one another up, create new business opportunities, explore global expansion and solve challenges together.
Making Progress
The startup ecosystem is continuing to grow and with it, so is the demand for entrepreneurial talent to not only launch their own businesses, but bring their creativity and innovation to existing organisations.
That is why we will be supporting the Elevating Founders programme at London Tech Week in 2022. This event gathers promising Seed and Series A startups who have the potential to reinvent their industries and society for a pitching competition, product showcase, fireside chats and panel discussions.
Book your place at London Tech Week now to hear from us there. And find out more about how Dell Technologies is supporting entrepreneurs to grow their businesses here.
You can find more Thought Leadership articles on the Making Progress site.
