Cranfield has an outstanding national and international reputation as a centre of entrepreneurial excellence – especially for the insights, training and support given to start-ups, early-stage businesses and those looking to scale-up by the School of Management’s Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship.
Tomorrow. Brighter. will aim to support this work through charitable gifts for a new Seed Fund which will invest in start-ups and early-stage businesses created by students, alumni and friends of the University.
This fund will support businesses at two stages of growth:
- Ideas stage – for business ideas that need a small amount of capital to enable market research or work on a simple prototype, the fund will give grants of up to £5,000
- Start-up/seed stage – for businesses that have started, or are starting, the fund will provide investments of, typically, £25,000 operating on a commercial basis by means of convertible loans
Your gift means so much more than financial support and development opportunities for new and experienced entrepreneurs within the Cranfield community. By supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, you will also be boosting local, national, and international economic development, and contributing to a longer-term, sustainable recovery from the socioeconomic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
