Virgin StartUp has launched an accelerator for 100 London business founders from underrepresented groups.
Empower 100 will provide support and meetings for 100 female, ethnic minority and disabled founders in the capital whose businesses turn over £50,000 or more per year and have been active for 18 months.
It is funded by the Greater London Authority through the UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund.
Linda Grant, chair of Virgin StartUp, said: “Systemic inequalities and biases continue to be a barrier for under-represented founders of early-stage businesses.
“Empower 100 is about taking a step towards addressing some of these issues and encouraging a vibrant and diverse start-up community. We want all founders to have the knowledge, connections and confidence to reach their full growth potential.”
Founders involved will have access to one-on-one and group support sessions, as well as weekly meetings with experts to focus on a specific problem they face.
Businesses involved will also be able to attend a pitch demo day where they will be given the opportunity to practice their pitch in-front of investors.
The programme will start on 3 August and last until the end of 2024.
