Supporting Entrepreneurs For Good In A Unique Way | Hatch

Hatch Enterprise a South-London charity is actively changing the face of enterprise support through the backing of diverse founders and impact businesses. They offer business owners the opportunity to take their social enterprise ideas and innovation to the next level via financial and business coaching, legal counsel, procurement prospects and funding opportunities.

Social enterprises have different business needs in order to broaden their social purpose in ways that are financially sustainable as well as commercially viable. While profits are the end game, they are used in different ways to further communities, drive environmental progress, create opportunities, or elicit positive change in their focus areas. For this reason, they are often overlooked.

Since its launch last year, the Hatch Impact programme has supported 15 impact entrepreneurs through their co-designed and user-led Accelerator programme. The enrolled entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to take a leading role in determining how the programme should be designed, a defining characteristic of the programme. Access to patient capital, secure contracts, appropriate networks, and enterprise support also differentiate their business model. So far, the supported entrepreneurs have hit financial milestones as well as recognition from the industry’s top awards like the SE100 and WISE 100.

At the end of February, Hatch will be running the next Hatch Impact Accelerator. The Hatch Impact Incubator, a sister programme for impact enterprises at an earlier stage of their development, will also be launched using the same modus operandi. Spaces will be limited to 12 social entrepreneurs per programme.

Janine Carpenter, Head of Impact Programmes, shares her views:

“We are excited to support social enterprises and mission-driven businesses through our Impact programmes. These businesses have the power to change the lives of people that are currently underserved or make big contributions to the environmental challenges faced in their communities.

We have seen great shifts happen with radical changes made to business models, and we’ve addressed the business challenges and personal issues related to running a business.”

The programmes offered by Hatch Impact are supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery through Postcode Innovation Trust, who have made it possible for the Incubator and Accelerator programmes to be offered to growing social businesses at a reduced rate. This makes their programmes accessible to social businesses that are still in their formative phases.

Applications are now open for the 2020 Hatch Impact Incubator and Accelerator programmes.  Sign up for them here: https://www.impact.hatchenterprise.org/