Unlock the potential of your startup
Apply for our Empower100 investment - readiness programme for London founders.
Applications for our current cohort are now closed.
Missed out this time? Don't worry, Empower100 will be back. Register your interest to stay in the loop and be the first to hear when applications reopen.
Empowering founders to grow and thrive
Expert advice
In sales, leadership, funding, pitching, marketing and PR and more.
Investment-readiness
Get ready to raise with a pitch deck and financial forecasts.
Founder Community
You’ll join a small cohort of founders on the same journey as you
Founders Supported
120
Hours of Support
5500
Total Revenues
£26m
Who is Empower100 for?
Founders based in Greater London who meet the following criteria:
Have a UK business based in Greater London
Been trading for a minimum of 18 months
Have at least 2 employees
Have a minimum turnover of £50k per annum
Be raising investment for the first time
Have a strong underlying business proposition
Programme Breakdown
Week 1: Getting ready for growth
What to expect
Join us in person for a welcome and intro to the programme, followed by sessions focusing on your growth strategy.
Take aways
Cohort networking
Build your Business Model Canvas
"The first session was eye-opening. The business model canvas helped me see my business differently and identify growth opportunities." - Stephanie Hannington-Sue, Homework
Week 2: Building your brand
What to expect
Understand how to build your brand from marketing experts. Later, dive into the importance of sustainability and your purpose.
Take aways
Understand your brand strategy
Carry out a brand audit of your business
Clarify your brand positioning
“A big breakthrough for me was realising I focused too much on finding new customers instead of nurturing existing ones.”
Week 3: Sales and marketing
What to expect
Develop your marketing and sales strategy with expert-led workshops from industry experts. Learn to define your marketing strategy, optimise channels, map the customer journey, and craft effective sales tactics.
Take aways
Define your marketing strategy
Deep dive on your marketing channels
Map your customer journey
Define your value proposition
Discover effective sales strategies
"We realised 90% of our marketing targeted existing customers, while 90% of our customers were new. Now, we're refining our messaging to better connect with them."
Week 4: Leadership and culture
What to expect
Build a strong company culture and leadership skills to guide your team through growth. Learn to identify key roles, navigate employer responsibilities, and apply the leadership development framework
Take aways
Identify the roles you need within your team
Understand the legal and financial obligations of becoming an employer
Learn the Leadership development framework
"The program helped me identify key areas to improve. Now that I’ve outsourced them, I feel clearer about growth - I just wish I had more time!"
Week 5: Financial planning for growth
Get your finance plan investor-ready. Learn to forecast cash flow, track financial performance, and navigate legal requirements for fundraising.
Key takeaways
Learn how to create a solid cashflow forecast
Understand how to track financial performance
Discover your legal obligations in your fundraising journey
"The workshop covered this in great detail — it was incredibly helpful. I now have a clearer understanding of funding options for my business."
Week 6: Funding Landscape and Journey
Gain clarity on the funding landscape and investor relations. Explore funding options, learn how to approach investors, and determine the best fundraising strategy for your business.
Key takeaways:
Understand your funding options
Discover how to approach investors
Decide on your best fundraising route
"It provided a good overview of potential funding sources – found the deep dive into grants very helpful.”
Week 7 - Pitching Skills & Networking
Master your pitch with expert coaching. Learn to craft a compelling pitch deck, present with confidence, and engage investors using virtual, vocal, and body language techniques.
Key takeaways:
Understand how to build a killer pitch deck
Learn techniques to pitch virtually
Discover body language and vocal techniques to engage and influence
"We refined our pitch by identifying key gaps. The expert-led sessions helped us tailor our approach to better connect with investors."
Still deciding? Book in a call with Steven to find out more
Book a free call to find out more about the programme and what's involved for you
Empower100 FAQs
Empower100 is an 8-week accelerator to help founders unlock the next stage of growth for their startup through a series of workshops, networking, training, peer-to-peer support and pitch events.
It is designed specifically for Black, Asian and minority ethnic founders, women founders and founders with a disability.
This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. We have since been extended and are now running two more Cohorts. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus
Virgin StartUp have worked with thousands of founders to help them develop the skills, confidence, contacts and networks to grow their businesses and thrive.
Empower100 has been designed by experts to help you:
Get the necessary materials together for fundraising
Understand the funding landscape and investor expectations
Develop a strong pitch by practicing with actual investors
Learn how to find and approach potential investors
You’ll also get follow-on support after the programme not only by being added to our alumni community group, but also getting a dedicated mentor for 6 months and 6 additional months of facilitated peer mastermind sessions with your cohort to go on the fundraising journey together.
We’ve designed our accelerator specifically for women founders, Black, Asian and minority ethnic founders; and founders with a disability.
To apply, you must meet the following criteria:
Have a UK business based in Greater London
Been trading for a minimum of 18 months
Have at least 2 employees
Have a minimum turnover of £50k per annum
Have a strong underlying business proposition
We're industry-agnostic, so are looking for ambitious founders from different industries.
We review each application carefully and select a group of businesses that, we feel, are at a similar stage in their development. This allows us to ensure that the content delivered throughout the programme is relevant and targeted. It also ensures that participants get the most out of the interaction with their peers.
Places on the programme are strictly limited. Therefore we are unable to offer a place for business partners, co-founders, or friends at the workshops.
However, you are welcome to bring a business partner to attend with you to some of the 1-2-1 sessions with advisors.
The programme will be delivered in a hybrid format with first day in person in London and the rest delivered via Zoom on the Virgin Startup Community.