Breakthrough Bursary

What is the Breakthrough Bursary?

SETsquared Bristol's Breakthrough Bursary supports tech founders from the global majority to grow their business and make an impact in the world. 

You will benefit from our bespoke incubation programme to help you launch or grow your business, whilst retaining your existing company culture.   

We will work with you to ensure you access our expert advisers and skills and training workshops, and we will also raise your profile, and support you to raise funding and get investor ready. 

 

What does the Bursary cover?

The Bursary covers 75% of our incubation programme fee for your first 12 months of membership, plus 3 months free desk use in our coworking space at Engine Shed.  

You will receive the full benefits of membership at a cost of £43.12 + VAT per month. The Bursary is kindly funded by our alumni members.  

Apply for the Breakthrough Bursary

You will need to have information about your business  (overview, customers, financials, team) at hand in order to complete the application. 

APPLY

What you get:

Bespoke business support

Business advice and coaching from our Entrepreneurs in Residence

Mentoring from experienced business leaders, Advisor in Residence clinics and SETsquared alumni

Support with raising investment and finance

Skills and training

A full programme of skills and training workshops, forums and peer-led focus groups

Support in the entrepreneurial community

A supportive community of tech entrepreneurs and network of potential partners and investors

Three months free access to desk space in shared office at Engine Shed

Access to SETsquared events including networking and investment showcases

PR including representation on our website, newsletters and social media

Discounted rates on a range of useful business software

Who is it for?

Founders or businesses must meet a few simple criteria: 

You are from the global majority. The business should be at least 50% led by people of the global majority.

You have a UK-registered business

You have an ambition for business growth and financial success

You are open and receptive to support and advice

You can commit a minimum of 2 days per week to developing the business

We welcome applications from anywhere in the UK

Mel Rodrigues, Founder & CEO of Gritty Talent

“The mentoring and pitching opportunities have been invaluable.

I now understand the business of business much more thoroughly, and feel confident moving from startup to scaleup with SETsquared’s support and the toolkit I need to do it well.” 

Ali Kazmi, Founder of Ethical Equity

"Being part of SETsquared Bristol via the Breakthrough Bursary has been instrumental to our success. In particular, having access to market/founder insights and SETsquared’s extensive network." 

Joyann Boyce, Founder & CEO of Inclued

“My experience of the Breakthrough Bursary has been nothing but positive. As an entrepreneur you often feel like you are out there on your own, but SETsquared Bristol provides a supportive community of founders at all stages.

Access to the Entrepreneurs in Residence has been fundamental to mapping out our investment strategy.” 

Why the Breakthrough Bursary?

SETsquared Bristol is proud be part of Bristol's diverse communities, but there remains a lack of diverse ethnic representation in the UK tech ecosystem as a whole. We are committed to working towards fairer representation of under-served groups and are particularly encouraging women founders to apply.  

For more information about our work with diversity and inclusion, view  our Diversity and Inclusion page. 

Apply for the Breakthrough Bursary

You will need to have information about your business  (overview, customers, financials, team) at hand in order to complete the application. 

APPLY

Breakthrough Bursary past awardees:

Find out about the incredible companies that have been awarded Breakthrough Bursaries since the programme started in 2019, and who have raised a combined £9 million in funding.

 

Busy Brain Breaks are evidence-based physical activity videos that are quick and easy for primary school teachers to implement inside their classrooms.

 

Dash's mission is to provide a greener car rental experience that is accessible and affordable for the modern urban driver.

 

Alo Mundus helps businesses create sustainable urban environments through targeted local forestry investments, broadening the positive impact businesses can have on local communities.

Gritty Talent connects the best under represented talent with decision-makers in the TV industry. There is huge untapped potential in the UK’s diverse communities, whose talents and contributions can enrich the media industry and its cultural evolution.

 

Inclued AI offers an inclusive aproach to marketing using AI, helping marketers to identify various types of bias - from gender, race and ableism in digital content.

 

MeiXter is a peer-to-peer live tutoring app and web platform for all types of skills at all levels.

 

Milbotix is developing wearable technologies for use in the care of older adults and people with dementia. Their wearable technologies are backed by several years of research undertaken at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory.

 

Voltric are integrating all forms of mobility into one solution, creating a true mobility as a service provider (MaaS). This will allow users to have a range of travel options from electric cars, bikes, scooters and public transport all in one place.

E2E is a platform which aims to build an active and co-operative learning environment for engineers. It will also be a bridge between students and academics.

 

Ethical Equity are an investment platform dedicated to high-growth startups and scaleups delivering social, environmental and cultural impact.

FluoretiQ have developed NANOPLEX™- a rapid diagnostic platform that identifies bacterial pathogens in 15 minutes. This ground breaking technology enables clinicians to confidently use antibiotics at the very start of patient treatment.

 

LatchAid is an easy-to-use breastfeeding support app which utilises cutting-edge 3D interactive and AI to help mothers and mothers-to-be learn vital breastfeeding skills.

 

Lurnable is a strategy consultancy that helps educational institutions maximise their potential in international markets to develop new growth avenues and establish global presence.

Yello Butterfly aims to create a new approach to the way in which we communicate with those who cannot or can no longer use the pen and paper method of communication and for those who have barriers.

 

Chisel Robotics have created a digital technology infrastructure for clinicians to diagnose the mobility journey of lower limb amputees in real-time. This will allow clinicians to provide targeted care to amputees by using quantitative actionable insights.

Cyber Scholars, now Better Together, offer online safety for kids workshops that are designed for parents, guardians, care-givers, teachers and non-teaching professionals who work with children and young people.

 

Access NorthStar is a powerful cloud-based business improvement and productivity tool that integrates with your CRM, enabling recruitment agencies to turn information into intelligence and data into decisions.

See also