Digital and Tech Businesses Join The 2024 Northern Max Accelerator

12th April 2024

The Northern Max Accelerator empowers businesses

The Northern Max Accelerator programme provides young businesses with an opportunity to learn fundamental strategies to spur innovation and growth. Greenborough Management has delivered the 10×10 programme for a cohort of Northern Max delegates four times previously with great success. For the fifth round, the programme has taken a slightly different approach, with new funding and entry criteria.

This year, digital and tech focused businesses from Leeds and Bradford were invited to join the 10-week programme, with funding coming from Bradford Council and Leeds City Council.

Cultivating success: fostering strong relationships and elevating success rates

At the heart of this programme, the Northern Max Accelerator 2024 supports businesses from different backgrounds and sectors to come together and find common ground on their growth journey. Encouraging peer support, connection and collaboration has always been a strong objective for Greenborough Management, and the entities supporting the funded programme.

Russell Copley and Michelle Davis of Greenborough selected 21 motivated enterprises from a large pool of applications from Bradford and Leeds to participate in their 10-week structured programme. Reinforced and supported by UK Shared Prosperity Funding and AD:VENTURE, the scheme will deliver interactive workshops which will assist growth in the selected businesses under 3 years old to exchange ideas and form relationships. The partnership for this year’s programme sees Leeds City Council and Bradford Council, come together and encourage collaboration between the two authorities and districts. Fundamentally, this will enhance the success rates of businesses throughout the northern region.

2024 launch of the Northern Max Accelerator

On April 10^th 2024, the cohort met in Bradford for the first time, and had an opportunity to network, and begin to learn more about each other. This year, half the workshops will take place in Leeds, and half in Bradford.

Chris Oldham, Business Manager on the AD:VENTURE programme explained that due to the pandemic, a portion of businesses have been struggling to progress and that this programme is designed to “give them the skill sets to get them through the 3^rd year” of their development as a business.

Reinforcing the value of the programme, Russell Copley of Greenborough Management says “There is nothing quite like this opportunity for businesses. There are prospects for business owners to learn – from the workshops and from each other, they will form friendships and professional collaborations and they will build resilient roots at the start of their new business. We absolutely love it.”

Rounding off the launch event Stuart Hartley, delivered the first workshop, which aims to direct individuals into creating a 4-part business model and Business Model Canvas. Within the programme, there will be 9 further sessions delivered by other experienced individuals, as well as a live pitching final. This will give the businesses the opportunity to pitch their product/service in front of investors, fund managers, grant funders and banks in the hope of gaining support, mentoring and investment into their business. The other workshops consist of topics such as Route to Market which will focus on the customers’ journey and how to use suitable marketing techniques, and Goal Settings which will centre around using goals to make your business come to life.

Determination to expand and grow business

Each business can have different motivations for wanting to sign up for the programme, and the launch event proved just that. While taking to the front of the room, members of the cohort introduced themselves, what they did and explained what they were hoping to gain.

In this short pitch presentation, Mark Scott, founder of ToothFruitz explained that he was looking for investment to take his innovative, sugar-free, immunity boosting confectionary to market. Will Gadd of Ilkley Brickwork explained that he would like to gain an understanding of how to automate internal processes, allowing the business to continually grow, build and nurture relationships. Paul Turnbull, the founder of MegaPixel Photography explained how he would like to make effective use of the programme to build a marketing team and develop his business skills which will allow him to grow his photography business. Whereas Nikki Jarvis-Jones of DMD Design mentioned that she was looking for support, to ensure she was building a resilient, scalable business.