Written on 28th January 2009
3 COMMENTS 
Zee, Editor in Chief at The Next Web, Principal at WeDoCreative.
Today sees the launch of a new startup focused on entrepreneurs and the support of their business. Founded by serial entrepreneur Sháá Wasmund, the site provides a plethora of resources to inspire and support new businesses throughout their growth. Particularly focused on UK businesses, Mike at TCUK is right to compare the site to a private version of government organisation Business Link.
Founder Sháá Wasmund has a wealth of experience, just a quick browse of her profile at Brightstation Ventures is enough to confirm it. With two startups under her belt, one sold to BSkyB, her recent work has been in partnership with BrightStation Ventures which has launched projects such as ShinyMedia and Miomi.
Her most recent business Smarta which apparently has nothing to do with BrightStation (according to TCUK) is supported by private funding from Dragons Den entrepreneurs Simon Woodroffe, Theo Pathitis and Deborah Meaden. The startup has also also received support via Bebo Founder Michael Birch, RBS/NatWest, Vodafone amongst others. (more…)
Written on 14th July 2008
3 COMMENTS
David Petherick, Contributing Editor, United Kingdom
Image via WikipediaSocietas Privata Europaea (SPE) is a proposed EU-wide company type designed specifically for small to medium sized companies to operate in EU member countries, which could be enacted as soon as 2009. This is a core part of the Small Business Act for Europe, which the European Commission unveiled at the end of June, based on ten guiding principles and proposing policy actions for both the Commission and Member States.
Here are some of the headlines in what is being planned:
- An SPE formation should be effected within 7 days.
- A cap on obtaining business licences and permits of one month.
- Lower VAT for services supplied locally.
- SMEs can set up their company in the same form, no matter if they do business in their own Member State or in another.
- Cut the administrative burden by 25% by 2012.
The press release begins with the wonderful phrase “a step towards a Europe of entrepreneurs, with less red tape and more red carpet for Europe’s 23 million SMEs“. [English Version] [Dutch Version] A set of Frequently Asked Questions also helps to explain the benefits of this initiative.
The lawyers, accountants, international tax experts, company formation outfits and administrative bureaucrats will hate this, as they have long grown fat from the cumbersome and often antiquated legislation and regulations that small businesses are forced to deal with, often irrespective of their size, and the necessity to follow separate, complex, and expensive company formation rules and registrations in each country. I would not be too surprised to see attempts from these types of organisations to slow down and undermine this initiative, as it of course lessens their role, and reduces the number of intermediaries involved when a company expands and works in more than one country.
However, the European entrepreneurs of today and tomorrow will love this – and it is in the long-term interests of every member nation in Europe to support this type of initiative. This is how one creates the jobs of tomorrow. It is a sad fact that long-term enlightened thinking has not always been a strong point for politicians and entrenched vested interests in Europe, so it is up to enterepreneurs across Europe to applaud, support and spread the word about this initiative.
The Next Web Blog is closely associated with The Next Web Conference which is held annually in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. At this event speakers from all over the world come together to talk about, and show off, the future of the Web. (More info 
