This week, prompted by a rather contentious LinkedIn post from Johann Nordhus Westarp, Sifted’s Martin Coulter asks the question: Can you be left-wing and an ‘elite founder’?
In his article, Coulter quotes our latest Entrepreneurs Survey, which revealed that founders have shifted their political allegiances slightly in the last few months towards the Conservatives and Reform (although it’s worth pointing out that the margins are still very tight).
I’ve managed to hold myself back from writing a diatribe on political economy — for today at least — because I figured it would be more constructive to set out what we as an organisation fundamentally believe.
This idea came from a discussion with our newest Adviser, Richard Browning, who launched the world’s first human jet suit, and who is the first signatory to our mission statement. This is a public pronouncement, which we’re encouraging all of our supporters to put their names to. You don’t need to be an entrepreneur to sign this — just someone who shares our worldview. So, are you with us?
A hallmark of humanity is our desire to solve problems. When we do that through markets — by creating new goods, services and ways of doing things — we call it entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship is one of the most powerful engines of productivity and progress. Throughout history, entrepreneurial ventures have transformed societies, lifting people from subsistence to prosperity.
Entrepreneurs pioneer new ideas, create jobs and drive the breakthroughs that raise living standards — not only today, but for generations to come. Supporting and nurturing entrepreneurship is essential if we are to live healthier, happier and more meaningful lives.
But progress doesn’t happen by accident. It is shaped by the choices made every day by entrepreneurs and by those who support them — their teams, mentors, investors, and the wider ecosystem.
And while the entrepreneurial impulse may be innate, its success depends on the environment around it. Entrepreneurs need the right laws, regulations, institutions, incentives, infrastructure, talent, capital and culture to thrive.
We believe the United Kingdom can and should be the best place in the world to start and grow a business.
Out of Focus
Most people — including, and perhaps most importantly, most politicians — have never run a business. That’s why the way journalists cover entrepreneurship really matters.
With support from Pathos Communications, we surveyed founders across our network to understand how they view the media’s portrayal of Britain’s startup ecosystem.
In Out of Focus, we found that five times as many founders disagree (60%) as agree (12%) that journalists do a good job of covering entrepreneurship. Most also said they had seen no improvement in the quantity or quality of coverage in recent years. And nearly three quarters feel that the issues that matter most to them get too little attention, compared with just 6% who feel they receive enough.
Alongside the quantitative data, founders shared their views in their own words. Many want the media to look beyond London-based, high-valuation tech stories and pay more attention to the everyday — and often unglamorous — realities of building a business. Others feel the tone around success and wealth creation could be fairer, and that journalists would benefit from a deeper understanding of entrepreneurship. There is also strong appetite for broader representation: across sectors, regions, backgrounds and stages of growth.
This isn’t intended as a broadside against the broadsheets. Founders were conscious of their own shortcomings too: while 30% feel entrepreneurs present themselves well in the media, 36% do not. And if you’re a journalist reading this, you’re already demonstrating a deep interest in entrepreneurship. Perhaps the main takeaway is that entrepreneurs still believe the media matters. Journalists continue to shape how policymakers, investors and the public understand risk-taking, innovation and economic dynamism.
The report — and its launch in the House of Lords — has already generated productive discussion on LinkedIn. We’re now speaking with several journalists about how we can help constructively bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and the media. Those in our WhatsApp community will know we’re already doing this by sharing live opportunities from journalists – so if you haven’t joined yet, now’s the time to do so.