Elevate business support programme | University of Westminster, London

Elevate is WeNetwork’s business support programme for Westminster graduates who own an early stage business registered and operating in the UK. The six-month programme offers tailored and strategic support to put the participating businesses on a pathway to growth, focusing on increased revenue generation and optimisation of processes.

A key feature of Elevate is the provision of up to £10,000 equity-free programme funding for the selected businesses. Participants access executive-level training and work with the programme team to strategically allocate the programme funding into the areas of the business that will generate revenue growth.

The funding is released in tranches based on meeting key milestones throughout the duration of the programme. If milestones are not achieved, WeNetwork reserves the right to delay or stop the release of the funding and/or remove participants from the programme.

Feedback from previous cohort participants

Programme structure

Key offerings	key outcomes
Programme Advisor for 1:1 guidance and regular progress reviews throughout Accountability to share progress made to-date Strategic business planning Industry relevant mentoring Network of subject experts In-person interactive workshops Online follow-on support Peer to peer learning Access to skilled students and graduate talent Marketing and PR opportunities via the university	Increase revenue generation and market visibility Improve overall financial sustainability of the company Practice applying new business processes to generate positive impact in the company Founders develop leadership and strategy skills Deeper understanding of target users and markets Optimisation of processes using digital tools and AI Develop network of relevant industry and business contacts

Eligibility criteria

Founders	Businesses
Participants to be a founder, co-founder or director of a registered and trading business in the UK with majority ownership Recent graduate of the University of Westminster Ambitious, committed and passionate about building and growing a successful business Be an active member of the cohort Open to sharing their experience and their progress with cohort and programme team Open to doing things differently in their business to generate change Capacity to fully participate in the programme whilst building business and implementing new processes through the course of the programme	A clear and compelling vision and mission Businesses or SMEs to evidence how they solve a problem with a product or service where there is market demand Clear unique selling point and market positioning Clear positive social, environmental and or economic impact on society Evidence of work done to date and initial market traction - actual customer or users acquired, commercial contracts, pilot tests, etc Evidence of having built and tested a Minimum Viable Product with test users or sold their first products or services to early adopters Identified areas of the business where guidance is needed to generate growth Business to operate using Objectives and Key Results plan for the duration of the programme

Founders

Businesses

Participants to be a founder, co-founder or director of a registered and trading business in the UK with majority ownership
Recent graduate of the University of Westminster
Ambitious, committed and passionate about building and growing a successful business
Be an active member of the cohort
Open to sharing their experience and their progress with cohort and programme team
Open to doing things differently in their business to generate change
Capacity to fully participate in the programme whilst building business and implementing new processes through the course of the programme

A clear and compelling vision and mission
Businesses or SMEs to evidence how they solve a problem with a product or service where there is market demand
Clear unique selling point and market positioning
Clear positive social, environmental and or economic impact on society
Evidence of work done to date and initial market traction - actual customer or users acquired, commercial contracts, pilot tests, etc
Evidence of having built and tested a Minimum Viable Product with test users or sold their first products or services to early adopters
Identified areas of the business where guidance is needed to generate growth
Business to operate using Objectives and Key Results plan for the duration of the programme

Application process

Application step	Details
Online application form opens on 2 September 2024	Founders should apply via the online form by the deadline. The application process includes filling in and submitting an Excel spreadsheet with their business details. An Excel template is supplied in the application form and information sessions are available to provide guidance.
Information Sessions (September-October 2024)	A series of online information sessions in September and October 2024 will provide guidance and tips on how to fill in your application form successfully (recordings will be available). The dates for these sessions are listed at the bottom of this page.
Shortlisting (early November 2024)	A pool of applicants that best meet the selection criteria will be shortlisted.
Interviews and panel pitch (week commencing 11 November 2024)	Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed to further assess their suitability for the programme. The interview will require the applicants to deliver an elevator pitch to the panel followed by a Q&A based on the information supplied in the application form.
Selection (week commencing 18 November 2024)	Successful applicants will be formally invited to join the programme.
Onboarding (December 2024)	An onboarding process will be offered to participants before the programme starts.

Programme content and dates

In addition to the workshops listed below, participants will be required to attend regular progress review meetings, implement change in their business throughout and track progress using the documents provided by the programme team.

List of programme sessions to attend in person:

Monday 20 January 2025: Customer Segmentation and Value Proposition
Monday 3 February 2025: Product Review and Product Development
Monday 17 February 2025: Competitive Analysis and Market Positioning; Managing your Cashflow, Revenue and Pricing Model
Monday 17 March 2025: E-Commerce Growth; Paid Search Marketing and Paid Social Media Ads
Monday 31 March 2025: Email Marketing and SEO; Reporting and Analytics
Monday 14 April 2025: Social Media Strategy and Social Selling; B2B Selling and Lead Generation
Monday 12 May 2025: HR and building capacity in your team; Financing your Business
Tuesday 27 May 2025: Business support beyond Elevate; Programme Reflections
Wednesday 25 June 2025: Elevate Showcase

Grant funding

Selected participants can receive up to £10,000 of equity free funding as part of the Elevate programme. This funding is disbursed in three tranches at the start, middle and end of the programme with the bulk of the funding disbursed in the middle of the programme.

Participants will receive funding if they meet the level of engagement required for this programme and the progress required with change being implemented throughout.

Participants will be required to sign the Elevate programme terms and conditions and abide by those terms during and after the programme.

WeNetwork Elevate Programme Terms and Conditions August 2024 (Word doc)73.16 KB

Information and support sessions

Guidance on how to fill in your application will be shared at these information sessions (recordings available):

Programme Overview on Monday 2 September 2024, 12pm–1pm, online
- Join the Zoom meeting Go to Programme Overview Zoom meeting
- Meeting ID: 897 0159 8958
- Passcode: 864890
Business Viability Assessment on Monday 16 September 2024, 12pm–1pm, online
- Join the Teams meeting Go to Business viability assessment Teams meeting
- Meeting ID: 399 403 145 532
- Passcode: rYXJQ5
Business Needs Audit on Monday 30 September 2024, 12pm–1pm, online
- Join the Teams meeting Go to Business needs audit Teams meeting
- Meeting ID: 385 957 791 333
- Passcode: QKyRcm
Elevate Networking Reception on Wednesday 9 October 2024, 6pm–8pm, in person
- Please book your place and see details for the networking reception here
Setting OKRs for Success on Monday 14 October 2024, 12pm–1pm, online
- Join the Teams meeting Go to Setting OKRs for success Teams meeting
- Meeting ID: 372 994 374 044
- Passcode: bdLuSG
Final Q&A Guidance on Monday 28 October 2024, 12pm–1pm, online
- Join the Teams meeting Go to Final Q&A Teams meeting
- Meeting ID: 345 394 094 897
- Passcode: RYs8FR

How to apply

To apply, you will need to do the following:

Complete and submit the application form linked below

Applications close on Thursday 31 October 2024 at 5pm. Late applications will not be accepted.

Application form