Meet Future Startup Now Founders: Online Programme Supporting Diverse Young Entrepreneurs During Covid-19

According to Venture Capital firm Atomico’s 2019 The State of European Tech Report, 84% of founders self-identify as white, and just 0.9% are Black. A report from the British Business Bank found that for every £1 of venture capital investment in the UK last year, all-female founder teams received less than 1p. And new initiatives like the UK Government’s Future Fund have been accused of excluding diverse founders. This lack of diversity in entrepreneurship has ramifications far beyond this sector such as overall employment of people from disadvantaged backgrounds and pay gaps. A group of organisations focusing on increasing diversity in creative startups have come together to launch Future Startup Now Founders to tackle this problem. 

Future Startup Now Founders is a new five-week online training programme which will support twenty-five entrepreneurs to develop their business ideas. The programme is part of the Mayor of London’s Digital Talent Programme which aims to prepare, coach and support young people (18-24) in the planning and development of a start-up and is delivered by London’s leading employability programme Create Jobs in partnership with careers community Hustle Crew. 

The companies selected will not only have the most creative and well considered business ideas, but also come from groups currently under-represented in the sector. This includes women, people from Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, people who are d/Deaf and disabled, people from the LGBTQ+ community, neurodiverse people and people from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. 

Participants will learn a variety of topics from startup methodology, MVP testing, product development, community engagement, user research. forecasting, finance, law and compliance, as well as the other skills and mindsets needed to launch a successful business.  

Each session will be hosted by an industry expert from the digital, tech and creative sector including Snapchat, Digital Catapult, Women Who Code, GUAP, Supa Network, GoCardless, has been completed, the 25 participants will pitch their idea to an expert panel of entrepreneurs and founders with ten businesses going on to receive £5,000 of investment in technical kit and hardware to support their business goals. 

London’s Chief Digital Officer Theo Blackwell comments, “Improving people’s digital skills boosts their employability and social inclusion. The Mayor of London and I are committed to building a more inclusive economy, and the Digital Talent Programme is focused on tackling digital skills gaps and addressing the under-representation of women and BAME Londoners, and other marginalised groups. Future Startup Now Founders programme is a great example of how weMVF, Learnerbly, Portify plus many more. Once training can create more opportunities for everyone to thrive in the digital economy.” 

Abadesi Osunsade, CEO and Founder of Hustle Crew said, “When I started Hustle Crew in 2016 I struggled to find actionable advice to help me move my business forward. The curriculum we’ve designed and expert speakers we’ve brought into the programme will ensure that participants gain the confidence and skills they need to launch and grow their ventures.” 

Oliver Benjamin, Director of Employment and Skills for Create Jobs said, “Too many barriers exist for diverse entrepreneurs to fulfil their potential. Through this programme, we’re able to champion the young, diverse talent that we know exists, support great business ideas and help the digital and creative sectors become more inclusive.” 

Future Startup Now Founders is open to application until 10am Wednesday 17 June and will start on 27 June, running till 7 August.