National funding contest for social start-ups expands entries and mentorship
Social enterprise grant competition IGNITE is widening its net for entries beyond UK universities, as well as offering a six-week accelerator programme for 16 semi-finalists.
IGNITE-backed ventures are supporting more than 500,000 people around the world, and the UK’s most ambitious social founders have until 9th August to get involved. Applicants can apply online for a chance to share a £50,000 equity-free prize pot awarded at a pitching and networking event at Barclays’ head office in Canary Wharf on 12th November. Follow-on investment from the Ford Family Foundation, which is behind the initiative, has totalled more than £650,000 for three previous finalists.
Now in its third year, IGNITE is for the first time offering 16 carefully selected semi-finalists a specially curated six-week social venture accelerator, delivered by partners Cambio Consultancy and Barclays Eagle Labs. Designed to catalyse impact and support founders at a defining moment, it pairs world-class coaching with intensive, hands-on strategy work to take each venture from idea to investment-ready.
Tony Ford, founder of the Ford Family Foundation, commented: “Entrepreneurship is one of the most powerful social mobility engines we have, yet too many brilliant enterprises never get a fair shot. The founders we back make a genuinely transformative difference. Expanding IGNITE beyond universities is about democratising access to entrepreneurship so that where you start doesn’t decide where you finish. Whether you’re a CIC, an entrepreneurial charity or a for-profit with a social mission at its heart, we want to hear about your potential. We’re not expecting perfection, because our expert-led accelerator is there to help you shape, strengthen and scale your idea into an investment-ready venture.”
After the accelerator in early Autumn, the top six semi-finalists will be selected by a panel of distinguished judges to pitch live at the flagship IGNITE event at Barclays’ Canary Wharf headquarters on 12th November. All 16 semi-finalists will be given a demonstration space to showcase their ventures to an influential audience of 150 investors, industry leaders and changemakers.
Last year’s winner Solѐne Declas, who founded companionship platform AIBŌ, commented: “Applying for IGNITE gave me the direction I needed to group together my business plan and, most importantly, it lead to hundreds of connections and the advisors that have molded the trajectory of my enterprise. The Ford Family Foundation’s support has been invaluable and the funding has enabled me to reach my next milestone, giving me the confidence to aim even higher.”
To find out more or to sponsor IGNITE, please visit ignitecomp.co.uk or email ignite@fordfamilyfoundation.org
