The UK government has appointed its first-ever entrepreneurship adviser, as it looks to combat challenges encountered by startups in the UK.
Tech entrepreneur Alex Depledge, the founder of a startup she sold for £27m, has been appointed to the role.
In the new role, Depledge will advise the chancellor Rachel Reeves on the government’s entrepreneurship landscape, focusing on addressing the key barriers faced by startups in the UK.
Depledge, who was part of a UK government task force to support women entrepreneurs in fast-growing businesses, advocates more female-founded startups and has spoken about the challenges women face in business, including men not taking paternity leave.
Depledge, who has an MBE, has run several startups including Hassle, an Uber-like platform for homeowners to source domestic services, which she and her co-founder sold for £27m.
In the new role, Depledge will work two days a week, according to the FT, where she will help devise policies to help startups.
Reeves said: "Startups, scaleups and other small businesses drive the innovation that keeps Britain growing, delivering our Plan for Change.
"We have a long list of successful startups, scaleups and small businesses across the UK - with the greatest density of scaleups among the seven major industrial countries in the G7.
"Having Alex on the team will bring invaluable expertise with her experience building successful businesses from the ground up, and I look forward to working with her."
Depledge said: "I’m honoured to be appointed as the chancellor’s first-ever entrepreneurship adviser, a ground-breaking move that puts high-growth businesses at the heart of economic thinking.
"It’s the first time an entrepreneur has held this role, and it signals a bold commitment from government to back the scale-ups and innovators powering the UK forward."
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