- Business bootcamp session starts latest cohort
- Masterclasses will now follow for those who have signed up
- Places still available on cohorts starting in September and October
Some 17 creative business owners have kicked off the third cohort of Create Growth.
The £1.3million programme, funded by the Department for Culture Media and Sport, aims to help creative companies scale up and get investment ready.
The latest firms participating span creative industries in Leicester and Leicestershire, Derby and Derbyshire, Lincoln and Greater Lincolnshire and include photographers, a production company and digital tech theatre company.
CDI Alliance is running cohort 3 and 5, having already delivered cohort 1.
A kick off event, at Cosy Club in Derby, saw the group come together for a business bootcamp.
CDI Director Guy Lewis, said: “Over the next six weeks, we’ll be working closely with this cohort to provide valuable support and guidance.
“We’re excited to see the growth and progress that will unfold, if the group session last week is anything to go by, it’s going to be a great cohort.”
Participants spent the day networking, discussing their companies and working on business plans.
Those on programmes run by CDI Alliance, receive an initial business health check, before attending a full day networking and training session.
Eight 90-minute virtual masterclasses will then follow covering themes including leadership, marketing, sales, finance, and business planning.
Greenborough Management will lead Cohort 4, and is currently running cohort 2. Businesses signing up to their programme will benefit from in-person sessions focusing on:
- Diagnostic: Identifying business needs and drawing up a bespoke action plan
- Workshops: Delivered by experts, covering Business Model and Innovation; Markets and Customers; Leadership, People and Processes; Finance and Funding, and Business Growth Plan.
- Masterclasses: Two sessions, all with businesses.
The penultimate meet-up will be a Q&A session, before an evaluation and onward referral session will conclude the programme.
Firms on both programmes will also be paired up with a mentor that will provide 1:1 support for four or more hours.
There will also be the option to complete a fully-funded 12-hour investment readiness workshop with Lincolnshire Business Angels to help participants prepare for growth.
Create Growth was launched in 2022 by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) in partnership with Innovate UK. It is designed to support the development of creative industries with high-growth potential across England, outside of London.
The aim of the programme, organised under the EMC² partnership, is to get 100 creative businesses across Leicester and Leicestershire, Derby and Derbyshire, Lincoln and Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland, investment ready – anyone interested in applying can find out more here.
EMC² is a community of business support and creative organisations from around the East Midlands. Members include local authorities, universities, local enterprise partnerships, and many other organisations in the private, public and voluntary sector.
The coalition came together through its successful £1.3m bid for the Government’s Create Growth Programme, led by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).
About EMC²
East Midlands Creative Consortium (EMC²) is a community of business support and creative organisations from around the East Midlands. Members include local authorities, universities, local enterprise partnerships, and many other organisations in the private, public and voluntary sector. EMC² came together through its successful £1.2m bid for the Government’s Create Growth Programme. The bid was led by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).
About Create Growth
Create Growth is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for participating regions to provide a bespoke package of support for high-growth creative businesses, and to help them secure commercial investment. Participating businesses gain expert business support to get them investment-ready, facilitating access to additional funding from Innovate UK and commercial investors in 2023 and beyond
