Free, dedicated support from Hartlepool Borough Council's Economic Growth Team for businesses of all sizes, from sole traders to established limited companies, looking to start, grow or relocate in Hartlepool.
Area
HartlepoolRating 6/10Local Landscape rating 6 out of 10
Shared with neighbouring councils 1 scheme
Schemes for Hartlepool and other council areas named with it, such as a loan fund for several districts.
Short-term finance of £100,000 to £2 million, managed by FW Capital, for businesses with a material presence in or delivering economic benefit to Teesside. Interest-only terms, suited to funding advance payment guarantees, performance bonds or contract-related cash flow.
Amount
£100,000 to £2,000,000
Deadline
Open all year
Area
Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-TeesRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Across Tees Valley 11 schemes
Open to businesses anywhere in Tees Valley, Hartlepool included.
Flexible training programme of up to 16 weeks to build Level 4 advanced digital marketing skills, delivered by Enterprise Made Simple. Open to adults aged 19 and over; fully funded for independent learners and self-employed, 90% funded for small and medium-sized businesses, 70% funded for large businesses.
Deadline
Open all year
Area
Tees Valley, York and North YorkshireRating 10/10Local Landscape rating 10 out of 10
Grants of up to £500 for pre-revenue businesses or up to £2,000 for established businesses, for young people aged 18–30 living in County Durham or Tees Valley.
Amount
£500 to £2,000
Deadline
Open all year
Area
County Durham, Tees ValleyRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Tees Valley Combined Authority, Tees Valley Creates
A support service listed by Tees Valley Combined Authority for established businesses, social enterprises and start-ups in the creative, cultural, digital and tech sectors, with help on finance and funding, business planning and networking.
Deadline
Open all year
Area
Tees ValleyRating 7/10Local Landscape rating 7 out of 10
Business loans from UKSE for businesses in steel areas, at fixed interest rates: unsecured loans of up to £200,000 for a growing business, or up to £100,000 for a new one, and secured loans.
Amount
£35,000 to £200,000
Deadline
Open all year
Area
Tees Valley, County Durham, Cumberland, South Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, North LincolnshireRating 9/10Local Landscape rating 9 out of 10
Equity investment from UKSE for businesses in steel areas: up to £1 million on a first round for a growing business, or up to £250,000 for a new one. UKSE takes only minority stakes and rarely asks for personal guarantees.
Amount
£35,000 to £1,000,000
Deadline
Open all year
Area
Tees Valley, County Durham, Cumberland, South Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, North LincolnshireRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10
Business Enterprise Fund (BEF) is a not-for-profit social enterprise providing flexible loans to SMEs across the North East and Yorkshire when mainstream lenders cannot fully assist. Start-up loans range from £500 to £25,000, and unsecured growth loans go up to £250,000.
Amount
£500 to £250,000
Area
Tees ValleyRating 7/10Local Landscape rating 7 out of 10
From 2027, BICS will reduce electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour for eligible manufacturing businesses in the Industrial Strategy's growth sectors and foundational manufacturing industries that meet the relevant electricity intensity threshold. It also exempts eligible businesses from paying the indirect costs of the renewables obligation, capacity market and feed-in tariff.
Amount
Up to £40
Area
Tees ValleyRating 6/10Local Landscape rating 6 out of 10
Mercia is a specialist asset manager providing venture, private equity and debt finance to growing regional businesses across the North East and Tees Valley. Its equity investments are typically from £100,000 to £2 million.
Amount
£100,000 to £2,000,000
Area
Tees ValleyRating 7/10Local Landscape rating 7 out of 10
Mercia Capital, a specialist asset manager, provides equity investments, typically from £100,000 to £2 million, to growing regional businesses at start-up or scale-up stage that cannot be fully funded through conventional borrowing.
Amount
£100,000 to £2,000,000
Area
Yorkshire and the Humber, Tees ValleyRating 8/10Local Landscape rating 8 out of 10
NEL's funds invest in ambitious growing businesses with a finance gap from £25,000, investing up to £2m, and can form part of a larger funding round with other investors.
Amount
£25,000 to £2,000,000
Area
Tees ValleyRating 6/10Local Landscape rating 6 out of 10
Government-backed Start-up Loans of up to £25,000 with 12 months of free mentoring, delivered by Business Enterprise Fund (BEF) as an approved delivery partner for the Government's Start Up Loans scheme. Aimed at founders who may struggle to access conventional finance.
Amount
Up to £25,000
Area
Tees ValleyRating 6/10Local Landscape rating 6 out of 10
Need to talk to someone?
Local services that help businesses in Hartlepool. Each number is from the organisation's own website.
What it does, how long it has been going, how many people work there, what it needs help with and what it is looking for: the best matches in Hartlepool come first.
Business events in and near Hartlepool
In-person events in the next 30 days in Hartlepool, then within about five miles of it. 58 online events are open to anyone.
Coworking spaces, incubators and workspaces a business can use, and venues to hire for a meeting, training day or event, each from its own website. Those with a known address are dots on the map below.