‘One step at a time’: entrepreneur buys stairwell in London to help startups

Simon Squibb: ‘I don’t want to contribute to increasing the prices of rent and housing … I want to create a symbol that if you’ve got a dream, you can just start it.’ Photograph: Simon Squibb

An entrepreneur who woke up homeless in a stairwell at the age of 15 with his first business idea has spent £25,000 on a disused stairwell to provide a rent-free space in London for small businesses to fulfil their dreams.

Simon Squibb, who retired at 40 after selling Fluid, his marketing agency, to PricewaterhouseCoopers, hopes the stairwell in Twickenham, south-west London, will provide a showcase for owners of small businesses.