{
  "id": 529852,
  "title": "Richard Branson: Support founders to buold the next Virgin in Britain",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/richard-branson-support-founders-to-buold-the-next-virgin-in-britain",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-11T04:06:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/richard-branson-support-founders-to-buold-the-next-virgin-in-britain/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sir Richard Branson has called for increased support for entrepreneurs in Britain to ensure the emergence of future successful businesses like Virgin, Microsoft, and Google. It's been more than half a century since Branson began his entrepreneurial journey, but he recalls that there were only two other entrepreneurs in Britain at the time. Today, while the number of entrepreneurs has significantly increased, many still misunderstand the term.\n\nBranson defines entrepreneurs as creative individuals who devise ideas to improve people's lives. He believes that when entrepreneurs succeed, it benefits society, while failure is also part of the process. However, building a business from scratch is challenging, and many entrepreneurs face numerous obstacles along the way. To foster a conducive environment for innovators, Branson emphasizes the importance of providing them with necessary support.\n\nHis philanthropic organization, Virgin StartUp, which assists thousands of UK founders, recently conducted research revealing that a majority of entrepreneurs are concerned about their projects' survival within the next year. Furthermore, they feel that the government doesn't pay attention to their concerns. Branson stresses the need to bridge the gap between failing and successful entrepreneurs, so the majority of would-be business owners experience success.\n\nEncouragingly, when Virgin StartUp surveyed 1,000 British parents regarding their hopes for their children's future, 85% expressed their willingness to support their offspring's entrepreneurial pursuits. Many of these parents are already instilling an entrepreneurial spirit in their children at home. Branson himself credits his parents for nurturing his entrepreneurial mindset from a young age, whether it was selling Christmas trees, breeding budgies, or launching a national student magazine.",
  "summary": "We must give every founder the best chance to flourish, so the future Virgins, Microsofts and Googles of the world are also built by British entrepreneurs, says Sir Richard Branson I was very flattered by Philip Salter’s suggestion that Britain needs another Richard Branson. But beyond the headline, we need to do more to champion [...]",
  "key_points": [
    "Sir Richard Branson urges increased support for British entrepreneurs.",
    "Virgin StartUp research shows 85% of British parents support entrepreneurial pursuits.",
    "Building a business is challenging; Branson emphasizes necessary support."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Sir Richard Branson's push for increased support for entrepreneurs aims to foster an environment where more British businesses like Virgin can emerge and thrive, benefiting society as a whole.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "City AM",
        "title": "Richard Branson says UK must ‘make it easier’ to be an entrepreneur",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/richard-branson-says-uk-must-make-it-easier-to-be-an-entrepreneur",
        "published": "2026-08-11T05:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}