Greenborough continues to play a central role in the delivery of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Innovative Entrepreneurs Programme, supporting a growing pipeline of high-potential founders to become investment-ready and commercially focused.
Delivered in partnership with the University of Leeds (including Nexus), Leeds Beckett University, RTC North and others, the programme targets entrepreneurs with innovative ideas across both commercial and social enterprise sectors. Greenborough’s delivery focuses specifically on funding readiness, pitch development, and business mentoring – critical elements in helping founders move from concept to credible, fundable proposition.
Now in its fourth cohort, the programme has supported over 80 founders to date. This year’s finalists reflected the continued diversity and ambition of the programme’s participants, with all three successful pitch winners being female entrepreneurs.
Greenborough’s Role: From Innovation to Investment
Greenborough leads on the programme’s investment readiness and pitch development components, drawing on extensive experience in early-stage venture support. Our approach blends structured training, one-to-one mentoring, and live pitch preparation to help founders on the programme articulate their value proposition with clarity and confidence.
Our bespoke delivery includes:
- Funding Readiness Workshops, led by Greenborough’s Russell Copley, equipping founders with the knowledge and strategies required to secure grant, debt, or equity investment.
- One-to-One Coaching, tailored to the needs of each entrepreneur, ensuring alignment between ambition, business model, and investment pathway.
- Pitch Development, helping founders prepare for their pitch, culminating in live pitch final where founders present to a panel of judges and potential investors.
This methodology bridges the gap between innovative thinking and commercial execution – a space where many early-stage founders require targeted, expert support. Through our work, founders move from concept to credible, fundable business ventures.
Now in its fourth cohort, the programme has supported over 80 entrepreneurs, with Greenborough continuing to help shape its strategic direction as part of the core delivery and design team.
Celebrating Entrepreneurial Excellence
This year’s final pitch event saw three founders awarded grant funding, reflecting the quality and diversity of the cohort. Notably, all three successful entrepreneurs were women, each demonstrating strong innovation, market awareness, and social impact.
- Freya Shaw, Founder of Immersion Sound Studio Limited, is a registered blind musician, sound designer, and programmer developing innovative audio and accessibility tools. Her flagship product, the Hodr Engine, is a software platform designed to enable visually impaired users to create immersive digital experiences – including video games. The studio also produces commissioned music and binaural audio, positioning accessibility at the core of creative technology.
- Madeleine France, Founder of Blossom Training and Development, delivers self-defence and confidence-building programmes for women and girls. Focused on reducing violence in communities, Blossom combines practical training with self-esteem and resilience development – creating safe, inclusive spaces that deliver measurable personal outcomes. The company’s approach is grounded in lived experience and a strong commitment to long-term behavioural change.
- Karen Williams, Founder of Sanyan Fashion, leads an African-inspired clothing and lifestyle brand rooted in heritage, empowerment, and contemporary style. Sanyan creates high-quality, adaptable pieces for women who want to celebrate their Afro-Caribbean identity through fashion. With materials ethically sourced from West Africa and the UK, and production based in Africa, the brand combines cultural authenticity with modern comfort. Sanyan’s mission is to create bold, wearable designs that reflect personal pride, connection, and confidence.
Each of the winners successfully navigated a rigorous process designed to challenge, refine, and elevate their business ideas, culminating in a live pitch to an expert panel, where they each secured a £5,000 grant to support the next stage of their venture’s growth.
The consistency of outcomes – both in terms of investment readiness and personal growth, reflects the strength of the programme’s delivery model. Greenborough remains a core member of the programme’s strategic team and is actively contributing to shaping its future direction as a key partner in the current bid to extend the initiative.
Feedback from the cohort
‘The Innovative Entrepreneurs Programme has been an absolute game changer for Blossom. It’s not just about the workshops or the content, though both were fantastic. It’s about the connections and belief. I’ve met some truly inspiring entrepreneurs. The knowledge I gained from business models to growth strategies has given me a greater an understanding and clear direction for scaling Blossom with real confidence.
Russell’s support, particularly with refining our pitch, helped me put into words our vision with clarity and conviction. This lead to me being awarded the grant. That moment of validation meant everything, to me.
Now, with funding in place, we’re looking for the perfect Blossom branded vehicle that will increase visibility, help us travel safely and efficiently and allow us to reach more communities. We’re taking forward not just the practical tools, but a recharged energy and focus as we drive forward our mobile unit of empowerment and the growth of the business!’
–Madeleine France, Founder of Blossom Training and Development
‘I’m Freya Shaw, a registered blind sound designer, musician and software developer, and the founder and chief programmer at Immersion Sound Studio. We are partnering with the games studio Red Nought to develop the Hodr Engine, a game engine for people of any sight condition or skill level to create immersive experiences such as video games.
Throughout the first nine months of 2025, I’ve been on Cohort 4 of the Innovative Entrepreneurs Programme, led by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and I’ve found it to be an extraordinary experience so far. As I prepare to open a fundraising round and release a beta version of the Hodr Engine, the programme came at exactly the right time. I received fantastic pitching advice from Russell Copley and the Greenborough Management team, who provided tailored support to write and refine my pitch.
You are paired with a coach who meets with you regularly to discuss your business and offer guidance. My fantastic coach, Jane McGeeney, also helped me create my business model canvas, which was particularly challenging for me to access as a registered blind person. I also made full use of the five hours of legal support offered by Squire Patton Boggs. Their team helped me draft a collaboration contract between Immersion Sound Studio and Red Nought.
Although I do not come from a business background, there were still areas where I lacked knowledge and confidence. I’ve really appreciated Rebecca’s support during the early stages of the workshops. Her foundational sessions helped me exponentially, especially with financial topics. The programme’s hybrid model allowed me to participate in sessions from home, the office, or while travelling, and I regularly met my lovely cohort face-to-face at monthly in-person events.
Russell also generously gave his time for one-to-one sessions to help refine our pitch presentations. I went from having only ever done one thirty-second pitch to memorising a two-minute presentation. I was overwhelmingly humbled to find out that I was one of three winners of the £5000 prize. As a young entrepreneur, feeling this level of backing means the world to me.
Thank you to the Innovative Entrepreneurs Programme for such an amazing experience!’
–Freya Shaw, Immersion Sound Studio.
‘Russell and the Greenborough Management team were awesome right though the entire Innovative Entrepreneurs process. Always available and on hand to offer real-world, experience backed advice and provide expert guidance to help navigate the different aspects of the course.’
–Marc Burrow, CEO & Founder, Buckshee
As we celebrate the achievements of this year’s cohort, we look forward to seeing how these businesses evolve and continue to make an impact in their respective industries.
