Dell announced the launch of U.K. Center for Entrepreneurs as part of its global expansion of the Center for Entrepreneurs.
The company also appointed Entrepreneur-in-Residence Global Advisory Board to lend strategic direction around the global rollout of entrepreneurial initiatives.
Through this initiative, Dell is opening up its resources to start-ups in unprecedented ways to help fuel innovation and global growth, the company said.
The U.K. Center expansion will be followed by Ireland later this year, and additional markets will be announced throughout 2014, Dell said.
“For Dell, supporting entrepreneurs isn’t just a business strategy, but a corporate philosophy. Since launching in the United States a year ago, the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs has been a true testament to the collaborative win-win of startups and corporations partnering for growth,” said Ingrid Vanderveldt, entrepreneur-in-residence at Dell.
Dell Center for Entrepreneurs initiatives include the Dell Innovators Credit Fund, a $115M debt capital financing program through Dell Financial Services for U.S. and U.K.-based venture and angel-backed startups that provides financial and technology resources to bolster speed-to-market and create jobs.
Another is the Dell Founders Club, targeted to entrepreneurs leading recently funded companies who view technology as a critical “backbone” to business success and have immediate technology needs to scale quickly.
These initiatives have helped Dell develop mutually beneficial relationships with fast-growth entrepreneurs during their crucial early stages.
Neverware, a New York start-up improving schools’ access to working computers through software that helps old computers run like new, is a member of the Dell Founders Club and one of the start-ups participating in the upcoming “pitch slam” at Dell World.
With the success and impact these programs have created in the United States, Dell is expanding the Center for Entrepreneurs globally starting with the U.K. Center live now, followed by Ireland later this year, and additional markets to be announced throughout 2014.
The newly appointed Entrepreneur-in-Residence Global Advisory Board will work alongside the Dell Founding Entrepreneur-in-Residence Advisory Board to serve as a collective voice for entrepreneurs worldwide and lend strategic insight to Dell’s entrepreneurial initiatives.
