Enterprise Britain urges bold economic reset
Enterprise Britain, a movement that is focused on building a better and more prosperous future for the UK and its innovators, has been launched by founders and investors.
Its mission is to create an environment where Britain’s entrepreneurs can start and scale companies that become global champions, which is a current major weakness in the UK economy, as startups often move out of the UK to scale their businesses.
Enterprise Britain’s advisory board is co-chaired by Stephen Fitzpatrick, Founder of OVO Energy, Kaluza, and Vertical Aerospace, and Brent Hoberman, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Founders Factory, Founders Forum Group, and firstminute capital. Other members of the board include Lionel Barber, former Editor of The Financial Times; May Habib, Co-Founder and CEO of WRITER; Baroness Martha Lane Fox CBE, Co-Founder of lastminute.com; and Richard Reed, Co-Founder of Innocent Drinks and Co-Founder and Partner at JamJar Investments.
The launch of Enterprise Britain comes as new polling reveals 74% of Britons believe that the UK’s position in the global economy is declining, and data showing that the UK economy expanded by only 0.1% in the last quarter of 2025. As other countries are speeding ahead, Britain can’t afford to slip behind.
Fitzpatrick commented: “Britain has a great economic engine. But while we have one foot on the accelerator, the other one is on the brake. It’s always hard to grow a business – but in the UK we’re making it exceptionally tough. We’ve got to take the brakes off so our most ambitious businesses can drive our country forward.”
Alongside the launch of Enterprise Britain comes ‘Time to Act’, a new report calling for urgent measures in three areas: ambition, capital, and talent.
The report includes a set of recommendations aimed at creating a “nation of shareholders”, in which Britons are more directly invested in, and benefit from, companies’ success. This includes ramping up individual ownership of stocks, expanding employee share schemes, and boosting pension funds’ investments in the businesses that are driving the economy. Currently, the UK has the lowest level of retail investment of any G7 country, while pension funds have gone from investing almost 50% of assets in UK equities, to less than 5% in the last 25 years.
Dr Ben Maruthappu, Founder and CEO of Cera, and advisory board member, explained: “Britain has the potential to be a world leader in areas like innovation, enterprise, and AI – but for too long we have let caution hold back our country’s potential. This report is the wake-up call we need to unleash change. By backing the UK’s most promising entrepreneurs with real capital and ambition, we can drive the growth, vitality and shared prosperity Britain deserves.”
Hoberman added: “This is a unique moment for Britain to deliver on its promise. An island of creativity bursting with talent that needs policies to recognise, promote, unleash, and support our enterprises.”
Enterprise Britain is calling on entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders to join the movement, and inviting them to share ideas to jumpstart the economy – no matter how ambitious or bold.
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