Startup Discovery School

Join Startup Discovery School this Thursday at Sustainable Ventures for the Just Transition Pitch Competition Final! From 50 Semi-Finalists, 10 Finalists have been selected to pitch-off for their share of the £10,000 prize pot 🏆 Who will be pitching? 🧵 THE FASHION BLUEPRINT: empowering underrepresented fashion entrepreneurs by connecting them with luxury retailers 🌱 Greendezeen: Boosting biodiversity in big cities by creating stunning, eco-friendly spaces that harmonise with nature. 🗑️ ReCyrcle: a smart recycling kiosk that encourages families to recycle and foster community involvement 🛏️ Upmade: up-cycling bedding items which are typically categorised as non recyclable textiles 🤰Hoopsy: eliminating plastic from home-based test kits, starting with The Hoopsy Eco Pregnancy Test 🌳 Phyta Biodesign: pioneering a future where ecological conservation is seamlessly intertwined within building facades 🛴 Sally's Scooters: creating opportunities for children and young people to learn how to repair their own scooters ♻️ Circularity Karma: marketplace enabling companies to find partners who can reuse, recycle, or refurbish materials that would otherwise end up in landfills 🛍️ VirtuWear: helping consumers extend the life of their clothes and reduce waste, while providing brands with data on product usage and end-of-life 👚 TryKindClothing: clothing that is humankind, earthkind and creaturekind, from materials that are ethically sourced and benefit consumers' health 🎟️ RSVP here: https://lu.ma/mwnysf1j

Another Friday, another female founder spotlight! ✨ In the lead-up to our Women in Impact Demo Day, we’re shining a light on the remarkable female founders in our cohort. 🌟 Meet Sanghamitra Chakravarty, Founder of InvictIQ . 💼 InvictIQ is transforming care delivery with Audit on Cloud—an AI-powered Compliance Co-Pilot and Quality Management Platform. 🚀 By harnessing data, streamlining operations, and ensuring compliance, InvictIQ empowers care providers to elevate the quality of care and make a lasting impact in the healthcare industry. 🏥💡 Sangha is on the lookout for impact-driven angel investors to help further her mission! 💥 Join us on Monday, 11th of November for Women in Impact Demo Day! 📅 📍RSVP: https://lu.ma/qx3tdrd1  

Shoutout to the 10 Startups Selected for Digital Catapult's Black Founders Programme 🌟 We’re excited to see the latest cohort of 10 incredible startups chosen for Digital Catapult’s Black Founders Programme! 🚀 Among these innovative founders are: Jay Richards, Co-Founder of Imagen Insights, transforming how brands tap into Gen Z’s perspectives for real-time insights. 💡 Sonia Watson, Founder of Parade, helping brands scale personalised, on-demand production to meet sustainability goals. ♻️ Jeffrey Appiagyei, Founder of Growth Impact, bringing affordable, innovative payment solutions to underserved communities. 💸 Digital Catapult’s commitment to fostering diverse leadership is a crucial step in building a more inclusive tech landscape, ensuring that underrepresented voices have the opportunity to thrive. Can’t wait to see the amazing impact these founders will have on the world!  

🌱 Introducing The Green Londoner 🌱 The Green Londoner is a media platform focused on tackling London’s climate and environmental challenges while helping residents make sustainable choices that improve health, cut costs, and boost efficiency. 🚀 They connect sustainability to real human and social benefits—better health, savings, and well-being. Their content explores public policies, trends, and offers practical tips for living greener in London—without breaking the bank. There’s a gap between the climate actions people want to take and what they actually do. The Green Londoner bridges this gap with local, relatable content that empowers Londoners to make real change. 🌍 Join their community as they highlight green activities, share guest posts, and inspire a more inclusive, resilient, and circular future. 🌱 Visit https://lnkd.in/gETxRMz8 and follow them as they work towards a greener, sustainable London.

Attending BTF® was a blast! 🎉 This incredible event is all about inspiring innovation through technology, culture, and inclusion, and we couldn’t be more excited to be part of it.💡 At Startup Discovery School, we believe that diversity in thought, background, and experience is key to driving cutting-edge solutions and creating meaningful change. Black Tech Fest provides the perfect platform to explore new opportunities, connect with visionary leaders, and champion the future of tech for all.✨ We're grateful for the platform that exists to provide opportunities to network, learn and provide jobs to the community. Taz Latif Dama Sathianathan Diarra Smith Arfah Farooq 🇵🇸 Jaskiran Mangat

Event season is upon us - we’re excited to bring you our inaugural Community Pitch Competition this month. 🚨 Join us for an evening on the 31st of October where 10 Finalists will pitch for their share of the £10,000 prize pot. You’ll learn how their innovative businesses are tackling local environmental challenges within London communities. 💙 Join us for an evening of networking, drinks and nibbles. RSVP below! 👇 https://lu.ma/mwnysf1j 

Our Co-Founder, Gosbert Chagula MBE Chagula, will be speaking at Startup Grind on October 24th! 🎙️ Gosbert will dive into a topic very close to our hearts—building a startup ecosystem that truly empowers diverse founders. 💡 Why is a diverse startup community so important? 👉 Diverse teams foster innovation by bringing fresh perspectives and ideas to the table. 👉 Inclusion drives business growth—companies with diverse leadership are proven to outperform their peers. 👉 Equity creates resilience—empowering underrepresented founders ensures we’re building a future that benefits everyone, not just a select few. If you're attending Startup Grind, be sure to catch his talk. 🙌

Join us on 31st of October for our Community Pitch Competition! We’re excited to help businesses tackle local environmental challenges! 🌍 This is going to be a chance to make a difference and for the 10 finalists to win a share of our £10k prize pot. 🚀 We're partnering with Capital Enterprise and have the support of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to make this happen. Can’t wait to bring our community together to help innovative businesses grow. RSVP: https://lu.ma/mwnysf1j

Who’s ready for Women in Impact Demo Day? 🔥 We’re excited to spotlight our incredible female founders driving positive change through their ventures. Over the coming weeks, we'll be showcasing the inspiring stories of women making waves in sustainability and innovation. 🌍 First up, meet Rebecca (Dayoung) Ghim, Founder, The Ferm, focused on reducing food waste by transforming discarded byproducts into healthy probiotic foods. From cauliflower leaves to broccoli stalks, they're normalising using all parts of the harvest while reducing greenhouse gas emissions—one jar of kimchi at a time. 🥬 💡 Calling all FMCG/food investors—The Ferm is looking to connect with you! Join us on Monday 11th of November, RSVP here: https://lu.ma/qx3tdrd1

Our Just Transition Incubator launch was a huge success! 🚀 We've partnered with London Borough of Lambeth to develop and nurture 19 incredible ventures committed to driving a more sustainable and equitable future. 🌍 Over the next 3 months, these founders will take part in an exciting journey to scale their businesses, solve real-world problems, and make a positive impact in their communities. Stay tuned for updates as we share more about their ventures and progress! 💡 A huge shoutout to our amazing mentors who will be guiding and supporting the cohort: Denait P. Jamilah Jaffer Alina Iigilikova Damon Bonser We can’t wait to see what this cohort will achieve.