Bridges Ventures believes that thriving, growing businesses in under-invested areas generate strong economic benefits such as the creation of jobs, role models of entrepreneurship and economic dynamism. To do that, they must be closely linked to the areas we target as well as being located there. The businesses we back must demonstrate economic links with our target areas in at least one of the following three ways:

1. Employees: at least 35% of current employees or employees who will be recruited as an immediate result of the investment must live in our target areas and future plans should not significantly compromise this
   
   
2. Markets: the core target market for products and/or services, as identified in the business plan, are local people who reside within our target areas
   
   
3. Suppliers: at least 50% of non-salary expenditure goes to local businesses, defined as having at least 50% of staff located in our target areas (i.e creation of local supply chain network).
   
   

One of the first steps after a business applies to Bridges Ventures is for the Bridges team to work with the company to explore whether it has these linkages