The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF) has been revealed as headline sponsor for this year’s Cornwall Business Awards.
The £40 million Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund provides debt and equity finance from £25k to £2 million to help growing small businesses across the region.
It has been established by the British Business Bank in partnership with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and is operated by appointed fund managers FSE Group.
Its first investment was a £750k equity stake in Goonhilly-based wireless internet provider Wildanet, and a string of further deals will shortly be announced.
Lauren Tunnicliffe, senior manager comms at the British Business Bank, said: “We’re delighted to support the Cornwall Business Awards for 2019. This is a significant first year for the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment fund, which seeks to support the growth potential of SME’s in the region. Partnering on these awards represents a great opportunity to further support the Cornish business community and we look forward to working with the Growth and Skills Hub to showcase entrepreneurship and business success across the region.”
This year’s awards, which are organised by the Growth and Skills Hub, include the introduction of a new part of the judging process known as Showdown Day, when all category finalists will be invited to pitch to the judging panel about why they should be a winner.
The Cornwall Business Awards are open to any business or sole trader based in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It is free to enter with applications open until the end of March. For more details, click here.
