Their praise for last week's Budget has echoes of the backing Mr Osborne received from business leaders before the general election for his plan to cancel Labour's proposed National Insurance increase ? a major fillip for the Conservatives.
The Daily Telegraph can disclose that the Treasury is planning to go further to support investors next year by introducing a new 50 per cent rate of tax relief on sums of up to �100,000 invested in start-ups.
Today, David Cameron, together with Mr Osborne and Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, will launch a new initiative called "Start Up Britain", aimed at encouraging thousands of people to launch their own businesses. Sixty firms will take part, offering special offers and assistance worth up to �1,500 to each business.
Other measures in last week's Budget praised by the venture capitalists include the relaxation of rules to enable investors to contribute twice as much to new businesses as before ? up to �1 million each. Start-up firms will be able to receive a maximum of �10 million, compared with �2 million at present.
They also welcome the scrapping of rules that required business angels to work for 25 hours a week for companies in which they invested.
In their letter, the investors say: "Taken together, these changes represent a shot in the arm for enterprise in the UK. Thanks to the changes announced by the Chancellor this week, we feel that the UK is being positioned as a world class place to launch new businesses. As a result, British entrepreneurs, and those relocating to the UK, will find it easier to raise the funds they need to do what they do best: create and grow world beating businesses."
The companies represented in the letter, such as Index Ventures, Balderton Capital and Eden Ventures, have invested in hundreds of British start-ups, including Skype, Betfair, Lovefilm and Bebo.
The Government will claim today that Labour effectively killed off entrepreneurship over the past 13 years, pointing to figures showing that British investment rates are among the lowest in the Western world. Israel attracts more venture capitalist investment than Britain despite having an economy 10 times smaller, and France has also now overtaken this country. Even before the recession, there was less early-stage investment in British businesses as a proportion of national wealth than those in the United States, Switzerland and Sweden.
At an event in central London today, Mr Cameron will highlight the relaxing of rules on investment, and urge all those considering starting their own firm to take advantage of the new pro-business environment. He will say: "To drive our economy forward we need thousands to make that step and strike out on their own.
?So I want to make a direct appeal to everyone who?s sitting at home or at their desk thinking about starting their own business. Now is the time to do it.
?If you?ve been turning over a good idea for years, now is the time to make something of it. If you?re working for a big firm but know you could do a better job on your own ? now is the time to make the leap. If you?re dreaming about starting up the next great British brand ? now is the time to make it happen.
?There are thousands of people out there who are entrepreneurs but they just don?t know it yet. There are millions of success stories that haven?t been written yet. So seize this moment. Take these opportunities. Make it happen ? and together we can drive our economy forward.?
Some of the world?s largest companies have given their support to a new Start Up Britain scheme.
BlackBerry, Microsoft and Intel have pledged to become a ?champion? for the more than 270,000 starter business that are launched in this country every year. Other firms in the Start Up Britain group include Barclays, Google, and Virgin Media.
New companies will be able to draw on offers worth up to �1,500 that include free advertising, discounts on business insurance, help with broadband and office space, as well as finance and mentoring support.
The Government is also expanding the Tenner Tycoon scheme run by Peter Jones, the entrepreneur and star of the BBC?s Dragons? Den television programme, which teaches schoolchildren about starting their own business.
Under the plans, 250,000 youngsters will be lent �10 for a month and encouraged to use it to set up their own firm. Every school in the country will run its own business through the Enterprise Champions Programme, and enterprise societies will be set up in all universities.
The Government will also announce that university graduates will be encouraged to take part in a two-year scheme run by McKinsey management consultants to start their own companies.
In a second letter to The Daily Telegraph, entrepreneurs including Sir Richard Branson and Martha Lane Fox, the founder of Lastminute.com, set out why they are backing Start Up Britain.
They write: ?The time is now to help Britain?s young businesses grow faster. Britain needs a culture that nurtures more successful start-ups, which will pave the road to recovery. The launch of StartUp Britain is much needed, long overdue and it has our full backing.?
Sir Richard added: ?Start-ups and small firms are the engine of the economy and account for nearly 60 per cent of private sector jobs.?
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