Go! London Young Entrepreneurs Start Up Programme
Are you passionate about sport, aged 16-24 and looking to make a positive difference in London? Do you want to start or grow a business that uses sport as a force for change?
We are searching for 20 young and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to create businesses centred around sports and physical activities that can make a real difference in London.
The Go! London Young Entrepreneurs Start Up Programme will work with young Londoners, aged 16-24 years old, who want to start and grow sports and physical activity-based enterprises that make a difference to young people in their community.
What’s on offer?
You’ll receive free training from the School for Social Entrepreneurs to help you develop a business that will do good in your community. Our exciting new programme is being supported by the world renowned Bayes Business School. The programme aims to give you the best possible chance of success, through access to support, learning and funding. The programme will equip you with the skills and networks to start and grow your business and the impact it makes on your local community.
About SSE
At SSE we’ve been working in London since 1997 and have supported 1000s of individuals over the years. But we’re not a traditional school. Learning with SSE is inspiring, action-based and accessible – no textbooks. We will:
- Help build your confidence
- Give you the skills you need to get your business up and running
- Provide you with feedback and advice from leading experts
Who is Go! London Young Entrepreneurs for?
Whether you’re already leading a project or just have a solid plan we want to hear from you. You should be aiming to make a change in your community through sports and increase people’s access to sports or physical activity. You might want to:
Set up an afterschool martial arts club for young people in London with little access to sport
Run outdoor activities and sports event for young people to connect with nature and with each other
Build a sports clothing brand that improves access to sports for underserved groups
Start an organisation to improve wellbeing in your community and want to reach people who don’t usually play sport
How does the programme work?
The programme is split into two parts: Incubate! and Grow!
Incubate!
Between August – October 2024, our incubator support will offer 25 young people the chance to:
- Build a plan with 1:1 support from experienced SSE learning facilitators.
- Develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills with four workshops.
- Learn how to pitch business ideas.
Grow!
Between November 2024 and December 2025, 10 young people will receive a year long programme along with a grant of up to £15,000. You’ll get:
- 8 learning sessions with other young entrepreneurs
- Funding for your start up plans with a grant of up to £15,000.
- 4 ‘Action Learning Sets’ designed to support leaders to learn from one another.
- One to-one Action Clinics with our entrepreneurship team.
- Support from an experienced business mentor
- Access to a diverse network of social entrepreneurs
- A graduation event to celebrate your achievements
Application process:
Interested in finding out more?
If you are interested in the programme but want to find out more you can leave your details here and one of the team will be in touch. You can also find out more about the programme and have the opportunity to ask questions at a free information session:
Wednesday 29th May at 1pm – click here to register.
Tuesday 11th June at 5pm – click here to register.
Making an application
If you are ready to apply, download our guidance notes and then begin an application form. It is a very short form, and there is an option to complete sections using voice recordings. We will then contact you for a short 15–20-minute chat with one of our team so we can get to know more about you.
If you need help with your application, have difficulty filling in forms for any reason, or need one-to-one advice about applying, please contact Kate Hanley, Entrepreneurship Administrator: [email protected] or 020 3905 3537.
Apply by 1pm Monday 17th June 2024.
About Go! London
The Mayor of London, London Marathon Foundation and Sport England have come together as funders, in collaboration with London Marathon Events and London Sport, to create Go! London – the biggest community sport fund in the capital. Through this new £19.5 million partnership, together we aim to:
- Build a fairer London
- Strengthen and diversify the capital’s sport and physical activity sector
- Reduce barriers to physical activity that children and young people face, to tackle social and economic inequalities.
This partnership is not merely a funding vehicle. By coming together, combining effort, insight and expertise, we aim to simplify the capital’s sporting landscape and have a significantly greater impact in using sport and physical activity as a vehicle for social change.