Discover how to make your start-up a success at the British Library

Start-up Day returns to the British Library on Tuesday 19 November, full of inspiring talks and practical sessions
There will be a number of in-person events that will be streamed online, featuring speakers as varied as food brand founder Charlie Bigham, entrepreneur of Dragons' Den fame Sara Davies MBE, AI expert Cien Solon and keynote speech from Sir Chris Bryant MP
This event forms part of Global Entrepreneurship Week at the British Library

Starting a business can offer people both personal fulfilment and financial rewards, but with around one in five businesses failing in their first year in the UK, support and skill-sharing for prospective founders has never been more vital.

On 19 November, the British Library Business & IP Centre will host Start-up Day, a day filled with talks with guest speakers from across sectors, including: Charlie Bigham, the eponymous food brand founder; Martha Keith, founder of stationery brand Martha Brook; Cien Solon, founder of Launch Lemonade and AI advocate; Helen Eastwood founder of East End Prints; Sara Davies MBE, business founder and ‘dragon’ on Dragons' Den; Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Sir Chris Bryant and many more.

Whether just starting up, looking to grow, or simply have a brilliant business idea, attendees will hear from experts and industry leaders about the first steps to setting up a business and growing one sustainably, the opportunities and challenges presented by AI and the impact the latest consumer trends could have on their plans. Alongside talks, speed mentoring sessions and the opportunity to enhance their profile with free headshots taken by a professional photographer, the event will also provide the chance for attendees to meet others at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey, share expertise and explore how to stay motivated and set attainable goals.

Isabel Oswell BEM, Director of Business Audiences at the British Library, said: 'We are thrilled to be hosting Start-up Day, part of Global Entrepreneurship Week at the British Library, as it offers an amazing opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to meet other like-minded people and hear from a fabulous line-up of experts. From consumer and tech trends to food and stationery our panellists cover a wide variety of industries and will help attendees feel inspired to launch or develop their business idea.'

Martha Keith, BIPC Ambassador and founder of Martha Brook, said: 'I know first-hand from building my own business how daunting it can be. When I was first starting out the British Library's BIPC offered fantastic free support for me as a budding entrepreneur. Through a mix of expert panel events and Q&A’s with business founders Start-up Day at the BIPC will help give you the confidence and tools to begin establishing your own business and the opportunity to connect with others who are also embarking on their own business journey.'

The BIPC at the British Library and BIPCs at city libraries across the country run events throughout the year to support and inspire entrepreneurs; you can find our more on the British Library's website. Tickets to Start-up Day can be booked here.

For further information, or to request images of speakers, please contact Freya Barry at freya.barry@bl.uk.

Sir Chris Bryant, MP wears a dark suit with red and purple striped tie, stands against a grey background and is smiling, looking straight at the camera

Chris Bryant © House of Commons Creative Commons license 3.0 (JPG, 0.8MB)

AI expert and business founder Cien Solon is wearing a light blue cardigan, gold necklace, earrings and ring with arms crossed and head tilted to the right, looking at the camera, against a white background

Cien Solon (JPG, 0.5MB)

Food entrepreneur Charlie Bigham is wearing a blue, diamond patterned shirt, leaning with his right arm on a blue counter-top, smiling directly at the camera against a wall decorated with leaf-print wallpaper

Charlie Bigham (JPG, 0.9MB)

Stationery business owner Martha Keith, wearing a green dress covered in white spots, wearing a gold necklace with arms crossed, smiling directly at the camera, in front of a white bookcase with plants, books and candles on display, a white sign behind Martha states ‘Love Lives Here’ with an illustration of flowers in a brown frame, the edges of other signs are visible in the background against a white wall

Martha Keith © Amber Rose Smith (JPG, 0.9MB)

Sara Davies MBE from Dragons’ Den is wearing a pink floral dress, gold pearl earrings and is smiling directly at the camera, she is leaning against a glass door with trees reflected on it

Sara Davies MBE (JPG, 0.9MB)

founder of East End Prints Helen Eastwood is wearing a blue denim shirt, grey jumper and grey dogstooth patterned coat with her hands in her pocket and smiling directly at the camera, stands in front of white shelves of art prints with visible prints featuring women swimming, a sign stating ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Be Unapologetically Yourself’ and ‘Into the Water I Get, To Lose My Mind And Find My Soul’ with a number of floral prints and a plant visible in the background

Helen Eastwood (JPG, 0.9MB)

Lawyer and entrepreneur Denise Nurse, wearing an orange blazer and gold droplet earrings that have a green and blue hexagonal stone at the base, smiling straight at the camera, in front of a grey and yellow blurred background

Farzana Rahman (JPG, 0.8MB)

Notes to Editor

About the British Library

We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items - a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.

We have millions of books, and much more besides. Our London and Yorkshire sites hold collections ranging from newspapers and maps to sound recordings, patents, academic journals, as well as a copy of every UK domain website and blog. Our public spaces are a place to research, to meet friends, to start up a new business or simply to get inspired by visiting our galleries and events. We work with partners and libraries across the UK and the world to make sure that as many people as possible have the chance to use and explore our collections, events and expertise. And we're always open online, along with more and more of our digitised collection.

About the BIPC

The British Library's National Network of BIPCs based in libraries across the UK and offers:

Free access to high-quality UK and global market intelligence, customer insights and company data (worth over £5m), combined with intellectual property advice and guidance
Free and low-cost workshops, one-to-one support and mentoring delivered by library staff and business experts
Topical and inspirational networking events, featuring role model entrepreneurs
Accessible and welcoming spaces with access to PCs, desks and Wi-Fi, plus co-working and maker spaces in some locations
A comprehensive package of online support; including webinars, one-to-one business and IP advice sessions and screenings of our programme of inspirational panel discussions