AMBITIOUS businesses are being offered grants of up to £25,000 to invest in growth and jobs.

GetSet Solent, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is making the grants available to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the Solent region.

Government figures show 73 per cent of SMEs aspire to growth, but many are held back by obstacles such as finding enough profitable customers or accessing finance.

GetSet Solent said it aimed to help “ambitious but stuck” businesses combat these two main barriers.

Businesses in the region – which includes Southampton, Eastleigh, the New Forest, Gosport, Fareham, Portsmouth, Havant and the Isle of Wight – can also get free mentoring and marketing and finance advice.

Helen Stratton, programme director for GetSet Solent, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for businesses across the Solent to get funding to develop and improve their offering for the future.

“We know the Solent area is full of talented companies and entrepreneurs and we can’t wait to deliver this funding. The grant programme is there to help ambitious businesses unlock their growth potential both locally and nationally.”

GetSet Solent delivers fully funded access to finance and marketing support, through a range of workshops, one-to-one sessions and support to access the GetSet Solent grant programme.

Its support is aimed at helping businesses improve their leadership and management skills, strengthen their business growth models, strategies and value propositions, build their sales pipelines, and accelerate their conversion rates.

Since the programme began in 2013, the national Get Set service has supported more than 7,000 businesses across the UK that are looking to grow. The businesses collectively turn over £2billion and the Get Set service has helped them raise more than £70m in growth finance and create more than 3,000 jobs.

The GetSet Solent programme is delivered by YTKO, which has more than 30 years’ experience in supporting entrepreneurs, established businesses and corporates and has raised more than £40m for clients from debt, grant and equity sources. Many were previously unable to get finance.

To apply, visit getsetforgrowth.com/solent/grants/ or email solent@getsetforgrowth.com.