Category: Advice and support

Start-Up Surrey returns to help entrepreneurs turn ideas into thriving businesses

Published 14 September 2026

Advice and support

Dozens of entrepreneurs in Surrey will get fully-funded support to launch their business idea via Start Up Surrey. Funded by Surrey County Council, and delivered by specialist consultancy Incuhive, Start-up Surrey’s next phase is launching now, to run until March 2027.

The launch follows the success of the Start-Up Surrey pilot, (also delivered by Incuhive) from August 2025 to March 2026. During the eight-month pilot, the programme attracted 191 enquiries, enrolled 140 entrepreneurs and delivered more than 650 individual support interactions, including one-to-one mentoring, peer support and online masterclasses. Participants came from all 11 Surrey Districts and Boroughs.

The new programme will support Surrey residents considering starting a business, and businesses in their first 12 months of trading, and is expected to support around 120 businesses and residents. The support will include one-to-one mentoring, diagnostic assessments, induction workshops, peer-to-peer support and specialist masterclasses, helping participants develop their ideas, build confidence and establish sustainable businesses.

The programme will be delivered predominantly online, making it accessible across Surrey, alongside opportunities for face-to-face support at various locations across the county.

Matt Furniss, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth, said:
“Start-ups play a crucial role in Surrey’s economy, with latest figures showing nearly 6,500 businesses are founded across the county every year.
“That’s why I’m pleased to be able to announce a more comprehensive programme of support is now available for those with bright business ideas via our Start-Up Surrey initiative.
“More than 100 entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses from across Surrey will benefit from this expert support in the next six months – and every one that gets off the ground will bring added benefits to our economy, creating local jobs and boosting prosperity in our communities.”

George Scott-Welsh, CEO of The IncuHive Group, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to continue delivering Start-Up Surrey. The results from the pilot showed just how much demand there is for practical, accessible support for people taking those first steps into business.
“Starting a business can be incredibly exciting, but it can also be daunting. Having an experienced mentor to talk through an idea, challenge assumptions and help you understand what to do next can make an enormous difference.
“What is particularly exciting about this next phase is that we can build on everything we learned during the pilot. We already have a fantastic network of mentors, strong relationships across Surrey and a proven support pathway, so we can hit the ground running and help more Surrey entrepreneurs turn good ideas into viable, sustainable businesses.”

From dream to reality: Katie’s start-up story

Katie Penn spent years working in accountancy but always dreamt of starting her own spiritual healing business and to help others reconnect with themselves. Through Start-Up Surrey, Katie turned that ambition into Louella’s Light, a spiritual healing and intuitive guidance practice now running sessions in Lightwater and online for women across Surrey and beyond.

Speaking about her experience of the programme, Katie said: “You really helped me a lot with your calming presence and years of wisdom. You know my brain is like a wild horse that needs taming.”

How Surrey Start-ups can access help

The programme is open to Surrey residents considering starting and registering a business in the county, as well as Surrey-based businesses established for no more than 12 months.

All support is fully funded by Surrey County Council, meaning eligible participants can access expert business guidance without charge. To find out more about Start-Up Surrey and register your interest, visit the Start-up Surrey page, email support@incuhive.co.uk, or call 0800 689 3564.

Further support for start-ups is also available from Business Surrey.

Katie Penn, Founder, Louella’s Light

Hospitality Grant Scheme open for Surrey organisations

Published 3 September 2026

Advice and support, Funding and grants

The government’s Hospitality Grant Scheme is now open to Surrey businesses and organisations. Apply now for a share of £10 million to boost your village pub, family-run restaurant and neighbourhood cafes.

The three year scheme aims to back entrepreneurs starting new businesses, support training schemes giving young people their first jobs, and help trusted community venues to adapt and grow.

£3 million of the grant funding has been specifically earmarked to support Pub is The Hub. This is an independent non-profit organisation helping pubs in rural and deprived areas to diversify their services and activities. 

Projects include adding village stores, community cafes, play areas and arts and crafts activities, enabling pubs to expand their role as vital local hubs. 

Guidance is now available on the gov.uk Hospitality Grant Scheme page. Applications will be welcomed from the end of September.

Visit the gov.uk Hospitality Grant Scheme page for full details.

What is the Hospitality Grant Scheme?

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade is running the Hospitality Grant Scheme after a successful pilot.

It provides investment for organisations to develop projects that help get new hospitality ventures off the ground.

This includes bringing vacant premises back into use and supporting training programmes that help people develop the skills, confidence and work ethic to open doors to future careers.

Previous projects include non-profit The Right Course using funding to transform two prison staff restaurants and kitchens into a hospitality training facility. This provides inmates with valuable experience in a realistic, high-street-style working environment.

The Hospitality Sector Council and innovation lab specialist L Marks brought together hospitality businesses and leading tech companies to find new ways to boost productivity in the industry, leading to hours of work being saved and reduced costs.

Jane O’Riordan, Co-Chair of the Hospitality Sector Council, said:

“We welcome the launch of this grant scheme, which builds on a successful pilot and demonstrates what can be achieved when government and industry work together.

“The flexible funding will help support innovative projects that boost productivity and sustainability, create opportunities for young people and those furthest from the labour market, and deliver the shared priorities of the Hospitality Sector Council and the wider sector.”

Support for Surrey hospitality businesses

Business Surrey providers free and accessible support to all organisations in Surrey looking to grow. This includes pubs and community centres.

Get in touch with our experts via our Business Support Form for advice and support.

You can also download a series of toolkits via our resources page. This includes dedicated materials for organisations in town and village high streets.

Business Surrey High Street resources listing

Make this summer count: Free business resources to help your surrey business grow

Published 12 August 2026

Advice and support

Summer can be a great time to take a step back from the day-to-day demands of running your business and focus on the bigger picture. While clients, suppliers and customers may be taking holidays, it can create valuable breathing space to review what’s working, identify new opportunities and put plans in place for the busy months ahead.

Business Surrey has a range of fully funded resources to help Surrey SMEs build confidence, develop new skills and strengthen key areas of their business. From sales and marketing to leadership, recruitment and sustainability, our practical toolkits and expert-led content are available whenever it suits you.

Why not block out a couple of hours in your diary over the summer to focus on something you’ve been meaning to tackle? It could be refreshing your social media strategy, creating a marketing plan for the autumn, developing a stronger sales pipeline, or following up on those promising leads that haven’t quite converted yet. A small investment of time now could deliver significant results in the months ahead.

Start with the boost your business guide

If you’re not sure where to begin, our boost your business guide is the perfect starting point. Packed with advice from our expert business advisors, it covers key areas including:

  • Marketing and promotion
  • Recruitment and people management
  • Funding and finance
  • Business growth planning

The guide is designed to provide easy-to-access, practical tips that you can start implementing straight away.

Find out more by downloading our boost your business guide here.

Strengthen your sales pipeline

If generating consistent sales is a priority, our sales toolkit provides practical guidance to help you develop a stronger, more predictable sales process.

Through expert videos and practical worksheets, you’ll learn how to:

  • Build an effective sales strategy
  • Attract more prospects
  • Improve conversion rates
  • Create a tailored sales action plan

It’s an ideal resource for businesses looking to accelerate growth in the second half of the year.

Find out more by downloading our sales toolkit here.

Refresh your marketing strategy

Summer is a great time to review whether your marketing activities are delivering the results you need.

Our Marketing toolkit includes videos and worksheets across four self-learning modules to help you:

  • Clarify your target audience
  • Strengthen your messaging
  • Develop a tailored marketing plan
  • Apply proven marketing techniques

By the end of the programme, you’ll have a bespoke marketing strategy aligned to your business goals.

Find out more by downloading our marketing toolkit here.

Support for high street businesses

If you operate a customer-facing or retail business, our high street growth resources offer practical guidance to help you build resilience and increase performance.

You’ll find support covering:

  • Marketing and promotion
  • Customer engagement
  • Operational efficiency
  • Business planning

These resources are designed to help you create a tailored action plan that supports your specific growth goals.

Find out more by downloading our high street toolkit here.

Build strong foundations with HR support

Planning to recruit new staff or grow your team?

Our HR Foundations toolkit guides businesses through the essentials of workforce management, including:

  • Creating effective policies and procedures
  • Recruitment planning
  • Performance management
  • Developing management skills

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or expanding an existing team, this toolkit can help you put the right foundations in place.

Find out more by downloading our HR Foundations toolkit here.

Develop your leadership skills

Strong leadership can be the difference between managing a business and leading one successfully.

Our leadership toolkit consists of a five-part webinar series designed for business owners, managers and professionals. The series explores practical leadership techniques, delegation skills and real-world applications to help you lead with greater confidence and effectiveness.

Find out more by downloading our leadership toolkit here.

Start your net zero journey

Customers, supply chains and procurement frameworks are placing increasing emphasis on sustainability.

Our Net Zero toolkit helps businesses create a practical carbon reduction plan through a series of easy-to-follow videos and worksheets. You’ll develop a tailored roadmap that can help:

  • Reduce your carbon footprint
  • Lower operating costs
  • Improve competitiveness
  • Support bids and tenders

Find out more by downloading our net zero toolkit here.

Learn at your own pace with on-demand webinars

Not everyone can attend live events, which is why our on-demand webinar library gives you access to a wide range of expert-led business support sessions at a time that suits you.

Explore topics including:

  • Business growth
  • Marketing
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Sustainability
  • Sales and customer acquisition

These recordings allow you to build new skills and gain valuable insights whenever it fits into your schedule.

Find out how to access our on-demand library here.

Access key economic and business documents

Our document library is Business Surrey’s central repository for business growth resources.

Highlights include:

  • Surrey’s Economic Growth Strategy 2025-2035
  • The Surrey Skills Plan
  • One Surrey Growth Board outcomes
  • Surrey Business Leaders’ Forum reports

These documents are particularly valuable for businesses considering grant applications or seeking a deeper understanding of the county’s economic priorities.

Find out how to access our document library here.

Fully funded free support for Surrey SMEs

All resources and events are fully funded for Surrey businesses and delivered by Business Surrey, a Surrey County Council service offering expert advice to help Surrey businesses thrive. More fully funded sessions are coming soon – visit our events page for the latest information, or explore our resources page for details of upcoming Business Surrey events, our range of toolkits and our webinar library. Follow us on LinkedIn to keep up to date on the latest news and success stories!

Our experts are on hand to provide tailored advice to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team via our business support form.

And make sure you always hear about upcoming events by registering for our regular e-newsletter.

Surrey electronics firm powers growth through digital skills with Made Smarter

Published 11 August 2026

Advice and support, Funding and grants, Innovation, Surrey Success Stories

A Surrey electronics manufacturer is investing in digital leadership and workforce skills to build the foundations for its next phase of growth with support from the Made Smarter programme.

Cranleigh-based Cambertronics, has completed a Digital Transformation Workshop, a Leading Digital Transformation programme and Digital Champions training, helping the business develop a clear roadmap to improve traceability, streamline operations and strengthen digital capability across the organisation.

The starting point

Cambertronics specialises in the design and manufacture of high-tech electronic assemblies. It provides services from prototype development through to full turnkey production for customers across the automotive, marine, agritech, semiconductor test and industrial electronics sectors.

Founded in 1991, the business has built a strong reputation for technical expertise, quality and customer service.
Over the years, it has invested heavily in advanced manufacturing technologies, helping ensure the highest standards of production and reliability. However, many operational activities, including production tracking, quoting, inventory management and customer visibility, were still reliant on manual processes and disconnected systems.

With increasing customer expectations around traceability, responsiveness and supply chain transparency, the business wanted to explore how digital technologies could overcome these historic challenges and enable growth. Simultaneously, Cambertronics recognised that successful digital transformation depends on people, developing the digital leadership capabilities and the culture needed to support future change.

The solution

Cambertronics engaged with Made Smarter South East and completed a Digital Transformation Workshop. The process explored not only where digital tools could deliver most value, but also the skills required to support successful adoption.

Recommendations included barcoding systems to improve traceability, reviewing ERP solutions capable of integrating production, inventory and business data, enhancing customer relationship management processes, and increasing the use of digital tools to automate production tracking and inventory management.

The result was a tailored digital roadmap, providing Cambertronics with a plan for future investment. Jasper Whitefield, Business Development Manager, said: “We’ve invested heavily in advanced manufacturing equipment over the years, but many of our systems, from tracking production to managing inventory, still rely on manual input. We wanted to explore how digital technology could help us improve traceability, streamline processes, and get better visibility across the business.
“The workshop was incredibly valuable. It helped us identify the right areas to prioritise: automated barcoding systems, ERP integration, leadership training, and staff development.”

Jasper also participated in the Made Smarter Leading Digital Transformation programme, helping him strengthen his understanding about how to embed a strategy for change, and his colleague Joe Hildreth, (Production Supervisor), completed the Digital Champions programme, building additional digital capability.

The benefits

Cambertronics has developed a clear roadmap for future improvement and a stronger understanding of the technologies, processes and skills required to achieve its ambitions. The business now has a structured plan to improve operational visibility, strengthen traceability, streamline workflows and build the internal capabilities needed to support continued growth.

Participation in the Leadership and Digital Champions programmes has also helped reinforce the importance of aligning people, processes and technology, creating a strong foundation for future digital investment and organisational development. Jasper said: “Cambertronics is entering an exciting new chapter of growth and innovation. By embracing digital transformation, we are streamlining processes, improving efficiency, and creating opportunities to deliver even greater value to our customers. This investment ensures we can respond faster, offer new services, and maintain the quality and expertise our customers trust, while building a future-ready business.”

The Future

The digital roadmap identified several opportunities for future development which Cambertronics is now exploring, along with opportunities to introduce new technologies helping the business further improve efficiency, quality and customer service.

Support for Surrey businesses

Made Smarter is a government-funded programme to help SME manufacturers and makers boost productivity and increase their competitive edge through the adoption of new industrial technologies and tools. Start your own journey to digitisation – register for a free personalised assessment today.

Looking for support to grow your Surrey business? Get in touch via our Business Support Form.

Surrey Farming Innovation Accelerator goes live

Published 16 July 2026

Advice and support, Funding and grants, Innovation

Farmers and growers across Surrey can apply for grants of up to £35,000 plus expert support to innovate their offer as part of a £500,000 package to boost the rural economy.

The Surrey Farming Innovation Accelerator is a Surrey County Council initiative. It’s designed to help eligible businesses drive growth, become more profitable and improve efficiency.

It offers 100% direct funding of between £10,000 and £35,000.

The grant requires no match funding. It supports projects designed to modernise operations, improve productivity, diversify and boost long-term resilience.

Participants will also receive expert support to improve their wider business, including specialist consultancy, courses and peer-to-peer learning.

The six-month programme is open to small and medium enterprises in farming, horticulture (including vineyards and hop growers), forestry, beekeeping and equine businesses. It is part-funded by UK Shared Prosperity Funding.

Applications are now being invited until 16 August, 2026. To apply and see full details – including eligibility – visit the Surrey Farming Innovation Accelerator page.

Matt Furniss, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth, said: “Surrey’s rural economy contributes a huge amount to our communities and wider economy. But the feedback from farmers and growers is that a lack of funding, time and support is holding them back from adopting the technology that could transform how they work.

“The Surrey Farming Innovation Accelerator will give ambitious eligible businesses the tools they need to modernise, diversify and grow. Over time, this will create new jobs and contribute to the ongoing vitality of our villages and towns.

“I encourage anyone who is eligible to apply – and if it proves to be a success, we hope it will provide a model we can build on in the future.”

Applying to the Farming Innovation Accelerator

The programme is open to Surrey-based Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) whose primary activity involves owning, renting or actively managing agricultural or rural land.

Projects must demonstrate how the proposed digital project will deliver measurable improvements. This includes productivity, efficiency, profitability, resilience, sustainability or business growth.

To support your application, we’ve produced:

We advise that all prospective applicants read the above documents before submitting a proposal via the Farming Innovation Accelerator application page.

Support for rural businesses

Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Surrey’s economy. According to a recent University of Surrey report, there are about 500 farms in the county. Together, they contribute around £502 million a year to the local economy. This accounts for 14% of national farming income.

Surrey County Council has provided a range of support to rural business in recent years.

Fourth generation farmer Alec Clouting, of Ivelle Farm in Cranleigh, is one of several rural businesses to benefit from support and funding through a different route. The Surrey Economic Growth Fund helped him to set up a 24/7 meat vending machine at the farm.

He said: “I’m very grateful for the opportunity the Economic Growth Fund has provided me with. And doubled up with the support from the team at Business Surrey, it’s really helped get the project off the ground and build a vision for the future. 

“Farming is a very difficult business to navigate with many layers of complexity. And with the recent added pressures of the farm inheritance tax, it’s becoming harder to make small family farms like ours financially viable.

“Many futures have been thrown into uncertainty. So having a futureproof way of selling my produce as profitably as I can will give me the best chance I could wish for!” 

To apply and find out more, visit the Surrey Farming Innovation Accelerator page.

A man picks strawberry on a farm in Surrey

Making Tax Digital: what Surrey sole traders and small businesses need to know 

Published 7 July 2026

Advice and support, Business news, Thought leadership

Making Tax Digital is a major change to the way many self-employed people and landlords manage their tax affairs. But are you fully prepared for the change? Find out what steps you need to take.

HMRC’s Making Tax Digital for Income Tax programme is transforming the traditional Self Assessment process, bringing tax reporting into the digital age.

It’s the biggest change since HMRC launched Self Assessment more than 30 years ago.

So, if you are a sole trader or receive income from property, now is the time to start preparing.

Rather than completing one annual tax return using spreadsheets, Making Tax Digital requires businesses to keep digital records using compatible software and submit updates to HMRC throughout the year.  

Under the new system, businesses will use recognised software to:  

  • record income and expenses
  • send quarterly updates to HMRC
  • submit your final tax return digitally 

HMRC offers a range of approved solutions, including popular accounting platforms such as Xero, QuickBooks and Sage. You can also use software designed to connect existing spreadsheets to HMRC through so-called “bridging software”. This means you can choose a solution that matches your budget and your way of working.  

When will Making Tax Digital be introduced?

Making Tax Digital is now mandatory for sole traders and freelancers earning over £50,000. It also applies if you earn money from property.

Government is rolling out Making Tax Digital in further two stages.  

  • From 6 April 2027, MTD for Income Tax will apply to individuals with qualifying turnover above £30,000
  • From 6 April 2028, it will extend to those with turnover above £20,000 

Early preparation can help you avoid last-minute pressure and make the change much smoother.

HMRC recommends three key steps:  

  1. understand when the rules will apply to you
  2. choose compatible software 
  3. sign up before your start date   

Free and paid software options are available, and many platforms can automate tasks such as bank transaction imports, receipt capture and expense tracking, reducing administration and saving time. 

Renée Canter, Enterprise Mentor at Business Surrey, said: “Changing your processes can feel daunting. But you may find that keeping records digitally give you better visibility to be able to track income, expenses and potential tax liabilities throughout the year, rather than waiting till January to complete you self-assessment and being surprised at the results. 

“Bite the bullet and prep now to make sure you approach the transition confidently.“

Benefits of Making Tax Digital

  • View up-to-date cash flow – useful for business planning
  • No more scrambling for lost receipts – log them as you go, instead of all at once
  • See your predicted tax bill, year round – goodbye to any January surprises
  • Make tax admin easier – software can tally up invoices for you
  • Fix any errors you spot as you go – so you don’t overpay or underpay tax

Have further questions? The FAQs section on the Making Tax Digital campaign page may be able to help.

Looking for support to grow your business? Get in touch via our Business Support Form.

Social graphis promoting HMRC's Making Tax Digital campaign

Surrey’s Local Area Energy Plan – powering a better future for Surrey

Published 15 June 2026

Advice and support, Innovation

Surrey is developing its first Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP). This is a major new initiative designed to address rising pressure on the county’s energy network and prepare for a future powered by cleaner, more affordable energy. The LAEP will act as an evidence-based roadmap for upgrading Surrey’s energy infrastructure, helping the county meet rising demand from new housing, electric vehicles, and a growing economy.

Why it matters

Surrey’s energy system is already under strain. Without coordinated action, this pressure will limit business and economic growth, increase costs, and slow progress toward net zero.

The LAEP aims to:

  • Encourage investment in renewable and locally generated energy
  • Improve home energy efficiency and reduce long term energy bills
  • Support new green jobs and skills development
  • Strengthen Surrey’s appeal as a place to live, work and invest

Who should get involved

Surrey’s LAEP team would like to engage with businesses and other organisations in Surrey to understand their current and future energy needs. If your organisation uses, stores, or generates significant energy, the team is keen to hear from you. This information will help them understand how Surrey’s energy needs are changing and where investment should be prioritised in future.

The team is particularly interested in organisations that:

  • Have a significant presence in Surrey now, or plan to in the future
  • Have high energy use, transport fuel use, or generate waste heat
  • Work in the energy, transport, infrastructure, or development sectors

Have experienced barriers to producing, generating, installing, or storing energy or fuels. Your insights will help shape a robust, realistic, and future proofed energy plan for the county.

Why get involved

By getting involved, your organisation can help shape Surrey’s future energy system. By taking part your business could benefit from:

  • Confidence that your future energy needs will be met
  • An opportunity to help influence where and when grid upgrades are prioritised
  • Opportunities for investment, innovation, and partnership
  • Support for your decarbonisation and growth plans
  • A stronger, more resilient local economy
  • A role in building a cleaner, more secure energy system for Surrey

Join the LAEP launch webinar to find out more

The Surrey LAEP team are holding a webinar on 21 July to provide an introduction to the LAEP. The webinar will cover the benefits of the LAEP, what it could mean for your business, and how your organisation can help shape Surrey’s future energy pathway. Register here to save your space.

For more information, visit the Surrey LAEP web page or contact the LAEP team at LAEP@surreycc.gov.uk.

43% hit by cyber attacks: Government calls on firms to take action now

Published 12 June 2026

Advice and support

The government is urging businesses across the UK to strengthen their cyber defences against evolving and increasing threats by signing up to a Cyber Resilience Pledge.

The threats businesses face in cyber space can take many forms – including ransomware attacks, denial of service (DoS) attacks, brand impersonation and malware – and they are evolving rapidly. A new generation of AI models is lowering the barrier for cyber criminals, enabling them to find vulnerabilities and carry out attacks at a speed and scale that would have been impossible even a year ago. Recent figures show 43% of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past year, underlining the urgency of action.

Organisations are advised to invest in smarter, more resilient systems that can limit the impact of breaches and keep ahead of attackers, rather than reacting after the damage is done.

What is the Cyber Resilience Pledge?

The pledge, launching later this year, sets out three concrete actions organisations can take to improve their cyber security:

  • Making cyber security a board-level responsibility
  • Signing up to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)’s free Early Warning Service
  • Require Cyber Essentials certification across their supply chains – the UK government-backed cyber security standard that blocks the most common cyber threats.

Together, these steps help businesses reduce risk, protect customers and build confidence across the wider economy.

Cyber attacks are included in the list of nine key risks for Surrey. Information and links to help businesses prepare for and recover from attacks – including the NSCS’s free Cyber Action Toolkit – is available on the Surrey Prepared web pages on the Surrey County Council website. District and Borough councils also provide information about business resilience on their websites.

Support for your Surrey business

Looking for support for your Surrey business? Our team of experts are on hand to provide fully-funded advice to all Surrey businesses, including advice on strengthening your cyber resilience.

Get in touch via our Business Support Form to see how we could help your business grow.

cyber resilience pledge | Business Surrey | Cyber security

Surrey Venture Studio’s first incubation programme gets off to flying start

Published 12 May 2026

Advice and support, Funding and grants, Innovation, Surrey Success Stories

Surrey Venture Studio (SVS) is preparing to launch its first six‑month incubation programme, supporting early‑stage founders across Surrey to turn raw ideas and early‑stage concepts into customer‑ready businesses. The incubation accelerator is aimed at pre‑start‑ups who have completed SVS’s business ideation workshops and offers tailored support based on each entrepreneur’s stage of development.

One of the founders joining the inaugural cohort is Natalie Foo, creator of InchStone, a voice‑first app designed to support families raising children with developmental differences.

Meeting a need discovered from personal experience

InchStone was shaped by personal experience. Natalie explains, “I built it because I’m a parent in this community and the gap was too obvious to ignore.”

“The app organises your spoken observations into records ready for therapy, funding applications, and official assessments.”

Natalie first engaged with SVS through its intensive two‑day workshops, which focus on validating ideas before founders rush into building products.

As SVS Manager Odysseas Bassioukas, puts it, “SVS is a venture builder where people are coming to us to build from the idea to a company.”

“The workshops were intense but incredibly helpful,” Natalie says. “They helped me hone in on my idea and start making a plan. The focus on customer development really stood out; SVS puts that the right way around.”

The incubation programme will provide expert mentorship, peer support and hot‑desking facilities, alongside access to professional services such as legal advice, to help founders protect their intellectual property. For Natalie, the timing feels right. “It feels like the right moment to find out what’s actually working,” she says, as she prepares to pilot InchStone and connect with Surrey’s wider business network.

What is Surrey Venture Studio?

This is an exciting new pre-accelerator programme to help innovators, academics and entrepreneurs across Surrey explore whether turning an idea into a business is the right path to follow.

This exciting programme includes:

  • A two-day, in-person ideation workshop
  • Expert mentoring
  • Opportunity to progress to a six-month accelerator
  • Up to £25,000 catalyst grant funding, for successful six-month accelerator participant
  • Spaces on the workshop are limited and will be offered to applicants whose ideas are at the right stage of development and show strong potential for innovation and commercialisation.

At the end of the two-day workshop, participants will be invited to pitch their ideas ‘Dragon’s Den’-style. The successful applicants will secure a coveted place on the six-month accelerator programme and take a step closer to securing £25k in grant funding to launch their business!

South East manufacturers get £3.1m digital transformation boost through Made Smarter

Published 30 March 2026

Advice and support, Funding and grants, Innovation

Hundreds of manufacturers across the South East are set for a major digital upgrade after the Government confirmed fresh funding for the Made Smarter programme from April.

The £3.1 million investment will give SME manufacturers across the region access to expert technology advice, leadership training, digital skills development and match-funded grants to help boost productivity, drive innovation, create high-value jobs and cut carbon.

Made Smarter South East is a government-backed, industry-led programme delivered by Surrey County Council in partnership with 11 local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships across the South East region.

Made Smarter’s impact in the South East

Since launching in April 2025, the programme has supported 273 manufacturers, participated in 137 diagnostic workshops, developed 93 digital roadmaps, delivered 41 leadership and digital champions training interventions, placed 6 digital interns, and approved grants for 20 technology projects.

Over the last year, manufacturers have secured over £307,000 in matched funding to enable over £1 million of investment in technologies ranging from ERP systems and 3D printing to robotics and automation.

Bryan Vint, Programme Manager for Made Smarter South East, said: “This new wave of funding is a huge boost for manufacturers across the South East. In our first year we have already shown what the region can achieve when SMEs have access to the right advice, skills and technology.

“The continuation of the programme gives businesses the confidence to plan ahead, invest in digital tools and build the skills they need to grow. We are excited to help hundreds more manufacturers unlock productivity, resilience and long-term growth.”

The support available with Made Smarter

Made Smarter is designed to give manufacturers a fast and practical route into digital transformation. Businesses begin with an expert digital assessment to identify their technology and skills priorities, followed by a tailored roadmap to guide future investment.

Leadership development programmes, workforce training and digital internships help companies build the capabilities needed to adopt new technologies and embed change across their organisations.

To support technology adoption, businesses can also access match funding of up to 50 percent, with grants of up to £20,000 available for capital technology projects.

How one Surrey business has benefitted from the programme

Cambertronics, based in Cranleigh, Surrey, is a contract electronics manufacturer providing design, prototyping and full turnkey production for sectors including automotive, marine, agritech and industrial electronics. Through Made Smarter South East, the business completed a Digital Transformation Workshop and joined the Leadership and Digital Champion programmes to help shape its digital strategy and build internal capability for change.

Jasper Whitefield, Business Development Manager, Cambertronics, Cranleigh, Surrey, said: “We’ve invested heavily in advanced manufacturing equipment over the years, but many of our systems still rely on manual processes. We wanted to explore how digital technology could help improve traceability, streamline processes and give us better visibility across the business.

“The Digital Transformation Workshop helped us identify clear priorities, including automated barcoding, ERP integration and strengthening leadership capability across the team. Taking part in the leadership and Digital Champion programmes is helping us build the confidence, skills and internal ownership needed to drive that change. It means we can modernise our operations, respond faster to customers and continue delivering the quality and expertise they expect as the business grows.”

To learn more, and start your journey to digitisation with free support from Made Smarter, visit the Made Smarter website.

Funding support for your Surrey business

Looking to raise funding or investment into your Surrey business? Our team of experts are on hand to provide fully-funded advice to all Surrey businesses.

Get in touch via our Business Support Form to see how your business could access finance to help you grow.

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