Law firm Shakespeare Martineau has committed to supporting the Ingenuity Programme for the sixth year running, having partnered with the programme since its inception in 2016.
The full service leading firm will be providing legal, business development, and investment information, as well as business coaching, to help the creation and implementation of the next generation of business start-ups, as well as innovations from within organisations, that will deliver sustainable social impact across the UK.
Ingenuity was founded at the University of Nottingham in 2016 and is now supported by a network of universities across the country, including the Universities of Warwick, Gloucestershire, Portsmouth, Sussex, Bournemouth and York. The Programme supports social change by providing seed grants and mentorship to innovators looking to start new enterprises, bringing together the best of academic, industry, and charity know-how to support a diverse range of changemakers from across the UK.
Shakespeare Martineau has already been playing a key part in participants’ journeys on the Programme so far this year, with stakeholders from across the firm leading Q&A drop-in sessions for Regional Finalists as they prepare their business plans for final submission, as well as providing business tutorials for the Develop Platform and one-to-one mentoring for participants.
Known for supporting fast growth companies and entrepreneurs in both life and business, Shakespeare Martineau is well placed to advise the fledgling companies in the steps needed for sustained success.
Earlier this year the Programme announced a key two-year partnership with the UK’s largest healthcare charity, Nuffield Health, who will provide sponsorship to help participants to address social challenges in their communities across the nation.
Ben Buckton, chief marketing and people officer at Shakespeare Martineau said: “Every year our people get so much from mentoring the entrepreneurs and judging the awards. While those participating gain a lot from the experience of our experts, our experts benefit from different perspectives and new ways of approaching challenges.
“We know that in order to have a thriving economy we need diversity of ideas, people and businesses that truly reflect the society we live in. As a pending B Corp ourselves, we recognise that businesses that are commercially driven while also delivering positive social impact are the sweet spot of innovation and unlocking potential.
Elizabeth Smith, Head of Ingenuity Programme, said, “Over the last six years we have been committed to supporting innovation and social enterprise, and we are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Shakespeare Martineau, who have been with us from the start.
Enterprise plays a vital role in building community resilience, tackling health inequalities and developing more sustainable ways of living. We look forward to working with communities to give them the skills, networks and routes to funding to develop solutions that can deliver real change.”
About the Ingenuity Programme
The Ingenuity Programme began in 2016 as a business plan competition for the student and graduate population of the Haydn Green Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the wider University of Nottingham. In 2019, we expanded into the wider university community, working externally across the Midlands, Malaysia and China, and were joined by our first university partner, the University of Warwick.
Today, the Ingenuity Programme works with 30 university partners across the UK and focuses solely on creating businesses with impact. We’ve supported some fantastic purpose-driven individuals and start-ups over the last five years and you can find out more about our alumni here.
We are committed to creating diverse networks across the UK, bringing expertise from industry and academia together with lived experience from local communities, in order to find solutions that deliver real change.
Find out more about the programme at ingenuityimpact.org, or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.
