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Caerphilly-based business hub Welsh Innovation Centre for Enterprise (Welsh ICE) has secured a £50,000 partnership investment to expand its support for start-ups and growing companies across south Wales.

The start-up centre, on Caerphilly Business Park, reached the agreement with Valleys-raised entrepreneur Andrew Richards.

Rather than taking an equity stake in the hub, Mr Richards’ £50,000 investment will fund Welsh ICE’s wider support network, including mentorship, peer groups, and commercial advice for business founders.

Established in 2012, Welsh ICE offers collaborative workspace and corporate connections to help entrepreneurs launch and scale businesses.

Lesley Williams, managing director of Welsh ICE, said the investment would help the hub dismantle barriers for start-ups.

Ms Williams said: “Starting and growing a business can be an incredibly isolating experience, particularly when founders do not already have access to established networks, mentors or investment.

“Our role is to help remove some of those barriers. We create an environment where people can ask questions, learn from others, find collaborators and gain the confidence to take the next step.

“Andrew’s partnership investment recognises that this work is not simply about helping individual companies. When businesses in a community grow, they create jobs, spend with local suppliers, support families and build confidence in the communities around them.”

According to internal data from Welsh ICE, 95% of its members report that being part of the Caerphilly hub’s network has made them more innovative.

Mr Richards, the founder of AIS Utilities, said his own career path informed his decision to back the hub. Having previously worked in rigid corporate environments, he credited his time at Cardiff-based Amber Energy under mentor Nick Proctor as the catalyst for his entrepreneurial career.

Mountain Ash-born Mr Richards said: “Talent exists everywhere, including in the Valleys. What is not always equally available is opportunity.

“Too many capable people have brilliant ideas and the work ethic to make them happen, but do not have the networks or support around them that others may take for granted.

“This partnership with Welsh ICE is about helping more people access that support. It is about ensuring that where someone grows up does not define the scale of business they can build.”