Nick Ogden, the serial entrepreneur behind WorldPay and Voice Commerce Group, is dusting off the domain business.co.uk - which he acquired back in 1994 at the start of the Internet - to create a not-for-profit Website designed to help small business start-ups.
The portal provides budding entrepreneurs with immediate access to discounts, offers and incentives through partnerships with large suppliers, such as BT, RBS and AXA Insurance.
Says Ogden: "I have encouraged many established companies to get on board with business.co.uk and offer financial incentives to help create an environment that fosters new business growth. So far, support has been overwhelming and it is our aim that through this portal and its many partner firms we can not only encourage start-ups but also equip them with the tools necessary to succeed."
Ogden snapped up the business.co.uk domain back in 1994 and has held it in reserve ever since. At the time he was the driving force behind one of the first online shops, Wine Warehouse, which punted tax-free plonk from the Channel Islands. From there, he moved on to help set up Barclaysquare, an early online shopping mall, before creating WorldPay in 1997.