• #1 Instaprint "Best UK Cities for Millennial Start-Ups"

  • #2 Barclays’ SME Growth Factors Index "best cities in the UK in which to start a business"

  • #3 Instant Office’s "UK’s Most Entrepreneurial City 2018" Ranking

  • UK #1 for increase in digital business births 2006-16 at 568%

  • #4 Paymentsense "best UK cities to start a business in 2019"

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We believe the secret to building innovative, scalable startups is a friendly and helpful community of founders.

We organise and promote mentoring, talks, advice, collaboration and workspace offerings with a “give first” ethos. We warmly welcome people of all backgrounds.

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We’re always looking for supporters and sponsors to help us grow our community. Get in touch if you think you can help.

New marketplace from high street app LoyalFree provides a lifeline for independent businesses 

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LoyalFree, founded by Jason Nesbitt and Sophie Hainsworth of Leicester, was originally created to help high-street businesses increase sales, reward customers and provide local tours and trails. Now working in 18 UK towns and cities the business is quickly adapting to support the high street through recovery. Alongside new trails detailing businesses which are open […]

Mentor Fridays – would you like free help, advice, or support for your idea?

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Leicester Startups have been quietly signing up expert founders to help new founders and those with ideas. We’ve now got a range of impressive people who want to help you build your startup or grow your idea. In fact… we might even have too many! So to stop these founders, business experts, and all-round great […]

Leicester-based Entrepreneur Marc Wileman launches “Not A Business Book” – access your free copy here

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Not A Business Book is a whistle stop tour of the 7 ‘weird’ experiments that Marc Wileman took, from a £1,750 Prince’s Trust loan to Winning Dragons’ Den, a Queen’s Award and inspiring 1,000,000+ kids with his company Sublime Science. A must read for any aspiring entrepreneur! Download your free copy here: https://www.marcwileman.com/not-a-business-book/?fbclid=IwAR1oKu9qVZm9jRYLFS1PUq34SHtXQKaBnUw25j12XDP0NKUkno2zhYF_LJk 

Green light for new tech office space in Leicester

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The offices in Pioneer Park, include a 26,400 sq ft building designed as a hub for businesses in the science and technology sectors. Construction of the scheme is due to begin in May 2020 and complete in early 2021. https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/eastmidlands/news/2037344-green-light-for-new-tech-office-space#.XqbuI96QREA.linkedin

The Science Behind Creating an Awesome Business

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Hear from entrepreneur Marc Wileman who went from a Prince’s Trust Loan to winning Dragons’ Den, a Queen’s Award and inspiring a million kids. Join this virtual session on Thursday (April 23rd, 1pm GMT) that promises to reveal that with focus & taking action you too can achieve your dreams.

Got a news story you’d like us to share? Submit it here!

Next Events

June 8, 2020
Mon
08
Founders' Weekly Goal Setting & Roundtable
Location: Virtual
A weekly check in, troubleshooting, and goal setting exercise with other founders in Leicester

Let's own the week:

It might feel like chaos out there - but we all still have a job to do: building our startups.

Every Monday morning, at 9am, Founders across Leicester come together on Zoom to share ideas, troubleshoot, and set their goals for the week. Each and every Monday we're checking in with each other, keeping each other motivated, and holding ourselves accountable.

If you're a founder, you're warmly invited to join us. Register here: https://leicesterfounderroundtable.eventbrite.co.uk

June 10, 2020
Wed
10
Leicester Startups World Tour: Chris Heivly
Location: Online

Chris is a speaker, investor, mentor, and startup founder. Chris is one of the global experts when it comes to building great startups, and we're very lucky to have him share his experience with the Leicester community. Join us for up to an hour of live Q&A, and ask your own startup questions to one of the big names in startups.

Chris CV:

One of the Co-Founders of MapQuest - which sold to AOL for $1.2billion.

Managing Director of 77 Capital, a $25m Venture Fund.

CEO, COO or President of various companies ranging from $200k to $20m in size.

One of two Managing Directors of The Startup Factory (35 investments across 7 cohorts), founder and MC of the Big Top Reverse Job Fair and an international writer and speaker waxing poetic around startups and startup communities.

He wrote "Build the Fort", his much-anticipated book about how to take the lessons you learned as a 10-year old and ideas on applying those lessons to starting anything.

He's currently Entrepreneur in Residence @ Techstars. Techstars is an American seed accelerator founded in 2006 in Boulder, Colorado. As of 2019, the company had accepted over 1,600 companies into its programs with a combined market capitalization of $18.2billion. Less than 1% of applicants are accepted on top the programme. Chris helps community leaders around the world grow their startup community - including Leicester Startups!



Free registration here
June 11, 2020
Thu
11
DMU and NatWest Resilient Business Models workshop
Location: Zoom Details to be sent to attendees

About this Event



DMU Innovation Centre and NatWest have teamed up to deliver a series of workshops to help businesses navigate through the Covid-19 situation.

It’s one thing to build a business that meets customer needs enough to generate value to be viable. However, in the new economic reality of the Covid-19 situation new and existing businesses need to be viable and resilient.

Resilient business models can quickly pivot into new markets if your core is impacted and approach risk in a very different way.

As this is new territory the workshop will explore how tried and tested methods of business planning can be applied to your businesses to make them more resilient.

In this workshop you will get the opportunity to

- Learn about pivoting strategies

- Learn how to adapt your existing business model

- Explore opportunities to become more resilient


Sign up here 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/resilient-business-models-tickets-103440262610

June 12, 2020
Fri
12
Mentor Fridays
Location: Online

Need help or support from a sympathetic expert or Founder who's been in your shoes before?

Or do you have experience and are willing to give back? 

Every Friday we're hosting and matching mentors to mentees with introductory 15 minute sessions. If you're interested, fill in the Google Form, and we'll match pair you up with someone you can help, or be helped by!
June 15, 2020
Mon
15
Founders' Weekly Goal Setting & Roundtable
Location: Virtual
A weekly check in, troubleshooting, and goal setting exercise with other founders in Leicester

Let's own the week:

It might feel like chaos out there - but we all still have a job to do: building our startups.

Every Monday morning, at 9am, Founders across Leicester come together on Zoom to share ideas, troubleshoot, and set their goals for the week. Each and every Monday we're checking in with each other, keeping each other motivated, and holding ourselves accountable.

If you're a founder, you're warmly invited to join us. Register here: https://leicesterfounderroundtable.eventbrite.co.uk