Sky and BEO Announce £1m Partnership to Support Black Entrepreneurs

Direct support, including funding, strategic business advice, supply chain access, coaching, and mentoring is available for UK based Black entrepreneurs and founders with innovative ideas.

Through the Future 100 Growth Fund, Sky and civil rights organisation BEO are supporting Black entrepreneurs to launch and grow their own businesses in the UK. Future 100 provides investment and access to supply chains, backed up by expert business advice, coaching and mentoring, to break down the barriers faced by Black British entrepreneurs when setting up and growing their businesses.

The programme will also create a cohort of Black British entrepreneurs, with opportunities to network and share experiences, successes and challenges. Its focus on economic empowerment and equity of opportunity aims to reduce inequality and enable young Black entrepreneurs to thrive and succeed.

Future 100 will offer funding of up to £15,000 for innovative new business ideas and successful existing companies.

The fund will support Black entrepreneurs (particularly female Black founders) who are looking to bring a business concept to life, have a fledgling business that they want to scale, or have the beginnings of a thriving business. It is open to applicants between 18 and 30 years old of Black African, Black Caribbean, Black British and/or Mixed-race descent who are UK residents.

Businesses must be UK registered, ready to scale, and data or technology-driven and if available, have an MVP (minimum viable product).

Applicants from the digital marketing, creative, media and technology, sports technology, professional services, entertainment, logistics, education, health and lifestyle, FinTech and Internet of Things sectors, are particularly welcome.

Applications will open on 1 July 2022 and close on 20 August 2022.

(This report was the subject of a GRANTfinder Newsflash.)