The LCR Finance Hub team has now supported over 2,000 SMEs across the Liverpool City Region in their efforts to secure external funding.
Originally founded by MSIF in 2017, the LCR Finance Hub (previously known as the MSIF Finance Hub) is now building on this performance as it looks to assist more of the regions SMEs looking to begin and grow their ventures.
Additional support has been secured from the Growth Platform – the Liverpool City Region Growth Company alongside that already provided by MSIF, to allow the Hub to further increase its scale, with a pilot initiative having now commenced.
The pilot scheme will see the Hub build on its offering as an independent gateway for growing businesses across the City Region to access free and impartial funding and business advice, whilst working collaboratively with an extensive network of contacts throughout the region.
As part of this pilot scheme, the Hub has expanded its team with the appointment of Lynsey Barnes as Business Finance Specialist, where she will work closely with Finance Hub Lead George Wright.
Lynsey’s previous experience and knowledge gained as an investment manager within the Liverpool landscape will provide a further boost to the hub, with the hope to access and support more businesses with their funding journey over the coming year.
Lynsey Barnes, Business Finance Specialist commented: “I am thrilled to be joining the LCR Finance Hub team. I feel that there is a real appetite from businesses across the region looking for a simplified approach to funding without the complexity, and that’s exactly what we are looking to do.
The Liverpool City Region is fast becoming a beacon for both emerging businesses and startups and I am delighted to be part of that movement and help influence some positive growth.”
George Wright, Finance Hub Lead added: “It’s great to have the continued support of MSIF in addition to Growth Platform. With this support and the much-welcomed addition of Lynsey to the team, we can grow our services to further target those business who could begin and scale with our help. I look forward to seeing the outputs of the pilot scheme and I am eager to see the continued development of the offering beyond the current pilot phase.”
Janice Mears, Head of Business Growth at Growth Platform said: “Our intention is that every small and micro business in the City Region should have access to financial guidance and support for their business, particularly in light of the huge challenges they face in adapting to the pandemic and successive lockdowns. That is why we are working together with MSIF and the City Region’s financial and professional community to develop and build on the past successes of the LCR Finance Hub, so we are able to better support our local businesses.”
If you would like to find out more about how the LCR Finance Hub can help you, please visit www.lcrfinancehub.co.uk