Startup Leadership Program invites applications for its 9th London cohort

by Startacus Admin

Now with a global network of nearly 4,000 entrepreneurs, $700 million raised by fellows and successfully completing a pilot program with the NHS, the Startup Leadership Program continues to grow, inviting applications for its 9th London cohort.

During the six-month program, 18 face to face classes, workshops and simulations are peer led with small classes of 20 successful applicants being taught the nuts and bolts of running and growing their businesses, often by alumni, investors and mentors from the network. The emphasis at SLP is on collaborative learning, and a class is dedicated to encouraging fellows to think about how their ventures can support and help their communities. Each cohort selects a different social impact cause to support each year.

So far the Startup Leadership Program has attracted a number of high profile entrepreneurs and startups such as Melissa Morris, Founder and CEO Lantum, Dr Jamie Wilson, founder and CEO of Home Choice or Rumbi Pfende COO of MAMA.codes.

Steven Hess – trustee and program lead at SLP – is himself a successful entrepreneur. An ex ad exec, Hess believes the journey is not easy.

“Being an entrepreneur is not easy. There is significant risk, uncertainty, huge highs and bigger lows. But there are simple steps you can learn to help improve your chances, and we believe building a strong supporting network is vital to this.”

Hess views good entrepreneurs as ‘among the best problem solvers on the planet’, he’s also keen to state that the very best also know when and how to give back:

"SLP has a strong community bias,” he says, “it’s built on the idea that great entrepreneurs recognise the network effects of giving back. They have ambitions larger than the material and often want to change the world for the better, so SLP focuses much of its efforts here.”

Joysy John – Director of Education at Nesta and fellow trustee – notes “fellows join the program for the educational component – which is world class – but really benefit from SLPs wide-reaching and global network.”

Hess and John might know a thing or two too – last year the NHS tapped the SLP team to support their own entrepreneurial program and last year's program had a 100% recommendation rate, scoring 4.7 out of 5 as a transformational experience.

2017 alum William McQuillan led a £1.6mm investment round into SLP classmate’s Rajeeb Dey’s start-up, Learnerbly. SLP also scored with alum and co-founders Øyvind Henriksen and Jun Seki of POQ who raised their Series B £9.5mm.

“SLP gave me a great grounding in all aspects of starting a company. The most valuable part for me was the people I met, many of whom I've stayed in contact with for years since.” Melissa Morris, Founder of Lantum and SLP 2012 Alum

Hess is keen to continue SLP’s success for the class of 2019/20 stating. “If your ambition is bigger than just wanting to be the next hotshot on the block, we’d love to help.”

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Published on: 12th July 2019