The recent 'Shop for Change' report by eBay shows how there is now a real appetite amongst UK consumers to buy social and support ethical businesses, with more than half (56%) believing it is now more important than ever to buy from businesses that give back to society. However there is a distinct lack of business support offered to meet the specific needs of purpose driven entrepreneurs, with less than 7% of UK businesses being social enterprises despite 47% growing their turnover in 20182.

Since 2018, the Hatch Impact programme has supported almost 100 purpose driven entrepreneurs to develop the skills, knowledge and networks to become organisationally resilient, financially sustainable and  importantly, be able to scale their impact.

The selective programme kicks off with a six-week Incubator starting on 21 July, with a second Incubator starting  on 24 September. The Incubator is for entrepreneurs who already run a business with social or environmental impact and need help in growing it sustainably. This will be closely followed with an Accelerator on 29 September,  for impact entrepreneurs or leaders who want to scale up, develop their leadership skills and achieve their social and environmental goals. The Launchpad starts on 2 October and is for soon-to-be entrepreneurs with a purpose driven idea and may not know where to start.

Aside from joining a vibrant cohort of fellow founders, entrepreneurs  will be able to access skills training, and learn from industry experts to develop the business skills that will support the growth and impact of their businesses.

Janine Carpenter, Head of Impact Programmes at Hatch Enterprise, says: “I wholeheartedly believe that purpose-driven businesses are essential in addressing some of society’s most pressing issues. At Hatch Enterprise, we are here to support these businesses. After a lot of hard work and the very generous support of our funders, we are ready to start supporting more Impact founders to imagine, start and grow their businesses.”

Hatch’s alumni from the Impact programme includes Planet Patrol, Element Creative Projects CIO, and Spark and Co. Ishita Ranjan, founder of Spark & Co, said, “The programme has helped myself and my business by providing me with a framework to understand the structure and components of a successful social enterprise, it has also given me access to some amazing expertise, and provided me with methods and tactics for key development areas.”

The programmes are open to purpose driven entrepreneurs and impact leaders from the UK and any sector that have a strong and sustainable social and environmental impact as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For more information on Hatch and any of the Impact programmes, visit here.