Venture.Community aims to advance the development of hundreds of tech companies and help startups in South Yorkshire secure £100 million in venture funding over the next five years.

Venture.Community is the brainchild of tech entrepreneur Peter Hopton, the founder of data centre cooling company Iceotope and VeryPC, which provides sustainable computers and IT systems to schools and businesses globally. Iceoptope has raised over £58 million in venture funding since its formation.

Hopton has created a new approach for supporting tech founders that he believes is unique. Instead of a traditional accelerator that limits both the duration of support and the number of participants supported, Venture.Community will provide resources and a rolling programme of education, and events open to any founder who wants to access them. Startups with the most potential will receive mentorship from experienced founders in the community and support achieving specific outcomes, such as funding.

The network’s concept has been developed over the last two years through mentorships focused on supporting strategy, fundraising, and executive team building with five startups, including Productive Machines, BOW and TUBR, which raised more than £5 million in funding between them in the period.

Venture.Community has already established a community of more than 175 tech founders through a dedicated events arm led by Nick Dytczak Midworth and is delivering several events as part of UK Tech Week with Sheffield Digital, the association for people and businesses in Sheffield's digital industries.

Venture.Community aims to become self-sustaining through supporters, partners, sponsorships, and success fees. It has curated a roster of venture capital and service provider partners with a proven track record of helping tech startups achieve their goals. They include Squire Patton Boggs, Fuel Ventures, SFC Capital, EHE, Finance Yorkshire, Anticus Partners, AngelGroups, Medici Global Ventures, UK Business Angels Association, Sedulo, Creative Space Management, Roaring Mouse Public Relations, British Blockchain & Frontier Technologies Association, Pinpoint Ventures, and Mantra Media.

Peter Hopton, Founder and Convenor-in-Chief of Venture.Community, comments: “This is a new approach to tech acceleration that is scalable, sustainable, and open to all ventures and venturers. Sheffield and South Yorkshire is the UK’s secret startup capital and probably the most collaborative tech ecosystem on the planet. This is the perfect place to pilot Venture.Community.

“Tech founders frequently swim in a sea of sharks, so we are providing safe harbour, an inclusive community where founders support founders and entrepreneurs can connect with trusted experts that provide genuine, meaningful support.”