03 Dec 2019

Startups: Apply now to be part of Startupscale

We are delighted to announce that nominations are now open for Startupscale, our pioneering two-year business experiment designed to accelerate the development of tech startups in Sheffield and across the North of England.

The team here at Roaring Mouse has been thinking about how we can give more back to the communities in which we operate. Startupscale is our big commitment to doing that over the next couple of years.

From January 2020 to December 2022, we will be supporting the journeys of up to 20 early-stage technology companies based in the North of England. We are providing access to expert mentors, exclusive networking opportunities, and valuable media exposure – completely free-of-charge.

In what we believe to be a world-first, we will document the stories of startups taking part through an online TV and podcast series accompanying the project.

By doing so, we hope to improve the odds that participants in the programme will build strong, successful, growing companies.

Several technology entrepreneurs and industry experts have already agreed to share their expertise and provide mentoring to startups as part of the project. They include:

  • Annemie Ress, founder of PurpleBeach, former HD Director at Skype, eBay and PayPal
  • Martin Port, founder and CEO of BigChange, the mobile workforce management company 
  • Samantha Deakin Hill, founder and director at early-stage investment fund Campus Capital
  • Phil Hornby, founder of technology product training company SOT Consulting

And, we are being hosted in Sheffield by Kollider, a digital and technology business incubator powered by Barclays Eagle Labs. We’ll be meeting there once a quarter for the mentoring and networking sessions.

With the people and programme in place, now all we need is you.

We are looking for 20 startups to get involved in Startupscale, and our focus is going to be on very early-stage companies. If you provide some form of technology product or service, are based in the North of England (or the north Midlands), and were founded on or after 1st January 2018, then we want to hear from you.

To get involved, please drop us a line at startupscale@siteimport1.local, and introduce yourself in 500 words or fewer. We want to know about your:

  • Mission: your company and what it hopes to achieve
  • People: tell us about your founding team
  • Impact: the potential size of the opportunity you are chasing
  • Advantage: what makes your business special

Alternatively, you can upload a three-minute video to YouTube and email us the link.

The deadline for applications to take part in Startupscale is 20th December 2019. We look forward to hearing from you.