Cash boost for Euro young guns

Schroder Ventures is offering #120 million to home-grown startups.

A UK company is offering over #120 million in venture capital to help European startups compete without foreign funds.

Carl Parker and Bob Jones, partners in Schroder Ventures, said last week they were looking for people with 'bright ideas' who needed investment funding.

Parker said that he believed there was plenty of native talent which would welcome the chance of UK funding. In the past, UK and European inventors have had to apply to the US for venture capital funds.

Schroder's move follows Microsoft and Intel announcements earlier this year that they were both looking to invest in the UK.

Jones, who is well-known in the networking industry, joined Schroder this year. He founded Sonix, which was taken over by 3Com and is a firm believer in encouraging home-grown talent.

Meanwhile, Schroder's leasing arm has set up a Select finance programme to provide Vars and off-the-page mail-order companies with the necessary finance to target the SME market. The service offers guaranteed next-day delivery of documents for signature, reducing the time that it takes Vars to complete a deal with a customer.

Wayne Fowkes, Select development manager, said: 'The demand for the service has exceeded our expectations. We feel confident that this specialised leasing service addresses and underpins vendors' off-the-page sales strategies and mirrors the need to provide Vars and customers with speed and convenience in the sales process.'

He said off-the-page leasing is expected to to grow by at least 30 per cent next year.