Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce says that the island could take inspiration from a successful movement in Wales which encourages entrepreneurs and business innovation.

The business organisation recently organised a workshop with Caroline Thompson from BeTheSpark which is a movement fostering innovation-driven entrepreneurship in the country.

BeTheSpark helps businesses grow fast by linking them with the brightest minds in the country.

Since it was set up in 2015, BeTheSpark has enabled collaboration involving agencies from five sectors: government, corporate, academia, risk capital, and the entrepreneurial community.

Bringing all these together has proven to be effective in making it easier for entrepreneurs to access the support and advice required to get started in business.

Rebecca George, Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce chief executive, said: ’The BeTheSpark event was truly inspiring and we have received a great response from Chamber members who attended.

’We want this to be the start of a process which brings together agencies from the same five sectors here in the island with the long-term goal of achieving success in a similar way to BeTheSpark in Wales.’

Caroline Thompson, chief executive of BeTheSpark, said: ’Only by working together can we create a more visible, simple and connected ecosystem to encourage and enable entrepreneurship to thrive.

’I was thrilled to be invited to the Isle of Man for the second time to share vital knowledge and insight I have gained through my role with BeTheSpark in Wales.

’During my visit I supported key stakeholders in stimulating different avenues to inspire radical collaboration and left feeling enthused by the progress made.’