BUILD zoom meeting e1622449565174 1
Challenge
  • To convene the Leeds City Region business ecosystem of successful founders and supportive stakeholders to ensure a localised identity and shared purpose
  • To design the pilot programme of content by founders for founders with practical learning at its heart
  • To recruit a diverse cohort from across the region and ensure accessibility and inclusivity was built into everything
BUILD demo day
Solution

We ran consultations with entrepreneurs, universities, investors, corporates and government stakeholders from across Leeds City Region to co-design the content: PanIntelligence, Top Screen Media, Crisp, Rradar, BeerHawk, Data Shed, Ada Ventures, Mercia, North Invest, BJSS, KPMG, ARUP, NEXUS and Leeds City Region Council. We designed and delivered a 12 week part-time, virtual programme which included lectures, workshops, coaching, founder speaker series, 1-1 mentoring, peer problem-solving, academic research expertise and much more.

 

The key modules were: 

  • Understand how to and when to scale
  • Understand your customers
  • Validate your business idea
  • Nail your value proposition
  • Build a business model
  • Develop a marketing strategy
  • Understand financials
  • Perfect your ‘pitch deck’
  • Understand the legal frameworks that support a business
  • Improve your communication skills
  • Improve your public speaking and presentation skills
  • Build confidence and a supportive network to achieve your goals
  • Learn how to collect, analyse and express key data for business success
  • Understand financials
  • Connect with entrepreneurs, mentors, customers, investors and talent across the Leeds City Region Ecosystem
Results
  • Business modelling progress tracked before, during and after programme, showed dramatic improvements in clarity of direction, personal confidence, network expansion, revenue generation and sales plan
  • Very high NPS (Net Promoter Scores) and positive reviews from all participants
  • Several MVP prototypes were built with the generous support of No Code Lab
  • Developed unique, replicable, locally sensitive programme IP for future use
  • Fantastic engagement and feedback from founders, mentors, specialist content delivery people

Overview

The programme was designed for innovation-driven enterprises (IDEs), from diverse backgrounds, with a social purpose as part of their business plan. Over the 12 weeks, the programme provides participants with the resources to: validate ideas, develop a business model and go-to-market strategy, secure customers, generate revenue, attract investment and create a plan to scale their business.

About the Project
Inspired by MIT REAP’s economic development programme, BUILD is a 12 week Accelerator Programme designed to support early and ideation stage founders across the Leeds City Region.

Related Projects