#6 'You Are Always Raising Money' - Intentional Networking
This week we're discussing the pro's of networking and how it will be a game changer for your funding journey.
Welcome to Friday Funding Chats, your weekly accountability buddy in your small business funding journey. Every Friday we deliver top fund picks and tips to your inbox, saving you time and making your funding journey an empowering one.
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Whats in this edition:
💸 My 4 top Funding Opportunities
💸 Why is networking so crucial for funding?
💸 Funding News - the money is flowing
💸 Funding events
This Weeks Top Opportunities
Last week you guys loved this opportunity from Undaunted, so I’m adding the link for their The Greenhouse Accelerator (for Climate tech startups, offering £20k equity free cash) here again.
Competition FSB x HSBC UK Small Business, Big Summer Giveaway - one business could win £10,000 cash, and the application literally takes 30 seconds so do it right now!
Competition 2026 European Prize for Women Innovators has opened. - Women in the UK are also invited to enter one of 3 categories. Prizes range from €20,000-€100,000.
Accelerator Barclays Eagle Labs Female Founder Accelerator 2025 - 100 female led tech companies will be selected to take part in this accelerator, beginning in September.
Accelerator Ignite 2025: Social Enterprise impact accelerator - Workshops and support for social entrepreneurs with a £20,000 grant at the end.
These Top Opportunities were lifted from the Funding Opportunities Database, a unique listing of over 50 grants, awards, accelerators and other funding opportunities for your small business (with a focus on creatives, innovators and social & environmental impact). For full access to the database, upgrade for just £4 a month. Plus get Friday Funding Chats Live, and interviews with founders who have funded.
Question: Whats a Social entrepreneur?
Answer: A social entrepreneur is a person who has started, or is looking to start a social venture, someone who is driven by their passion to make a difference to their local, or global society.
Why Networking Is Crucial for Funding
Whether you’re selling a product or a service, you need to know people. You need to know your customer, but you also need to know your competition, your potential collaborators, potential investors, potential grant or award opportunities etc.
Networking is an essential part of funding preparedness and I’m sorry to say that I realised it a little too late. Let’s go back a few years… When The WIP did a Crowd funder, I was confident that I had a strong community to show up for me. And I did, but it could have been much bigger and more diverse. It certainly could have been richer because trying to pull in lots of small pots of money to achieve my goal nearly ended me.
Fast forward a few years to when I dabbled with the idea of investment. (I got SEIS/EIS approved and everything). However I quickly realised that my network was nowhere near big or diverse enough to net me those warm leads that I needed to turn into cheques for an investment round.
I always considered myself too busy to network. But when I forced myself to join investment communities and pitch competitions, I entered an entirely new world of funding. I met people who made valuable introductions for me, people who helped me join exciting new networks and Whatsapp groups, give me the inside track on Accelerators and programmes etc. And crucially, people who could share in the trials and tribulations of funding with me.
Even if equity investment is never on your timeline (which is totally fine FYI, and a decision I applaud) learning to pitch your business and network intentionally will mean the difference between you knowing about all the opportunities and you knowing none of them.
So this month, I challenge you to find one NEW networking opportunity and go for it. Be intentional, practise your elevator pitch, connect with people on LinkedIn, follow up with them. A wise person once said ‘you are always fund raising’, and taking this mentality into networking situations allows you to be alive to new collaboration, grant or supplier opportunities. You’re not being a user, you’re being business savvy.
Funding News:
Let’s celebrate our communities wins and understand where the money is flowing.
DEADLINE Extended! LloydsBritish Business Awards - applications close today!
Hatch have opened their September programmes for application. And there are loads to choose from; New Founder Launchpad, Natwest Launchpad for female founders, Natwest Incubator Programme, UBS Incubator programme, Sales & Marketing Deep Dive.
Intotum are Crowdfunding! - Support this incredible disability inclusive fashion brand today. They need to raise £15,000.
Join the Innovate UK financing Net Zero LinkedIn Group for all the latest news and tips on funding in the innovation landscape.
Colourfix has raised $18m to enable scaling of their biotech for sustainable fabric dying. The round was lead by Inter Ikea group and supported by H&M Group Ventures, Regeneration.VC and Goldwin play earth fund.
As part of their 10 commitments to women founders, Innovate UK have introduced the Women in Innovation Community forum. The aim is to communicate more fully the challenges of female founders in innovation and ensure change.
In more Innovate UK news…. they have just opened their Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains Investment Readiness Programme. Registration closes 31st July.
H&M Group have signed a multi year partnership with Circulose (formerly Renewcell) as one of their ‘scaling partners’. H&M acknowledges that ‘One of the biggest barriers for the fashion industry when shifting towards a circular model, is the lack of alternatives and technologies at scale’.
Question: Whats a scaling partner?
Answer: A scaling partner can be a company that helps other businesses expand their reach and achieve growth by providing specialised expertise and resources. A study found that 44% of businesses want to forge strategic partnerships or alliances to drive further innovation and rapid growth.
Events
Things are starting to slow down for Summer so why not find some local networking events near you and build some exciting new relationships.
Womankind Ventures presents:Twice Monthly Pitch Clinic - Pitching is an essential skill, whether you’re speaking to a potential investor, partner, stockist or grant panel. Spaces like this are ideal to get practising.
(Next date) 15th July, Online
Enterprise Nation: How to attract higher paying clients - if you want to strengthen cashflow, then this is a must for you.
14th July, Online
Entrepreneurs Collective: Startup Sales Mistakes - Most startups unknowingly make the same costly mistakes in their sales approach, slowing growth, burning leads, and losing revenue. But what if you could skip those mistakes and get straight to what actually works?
16th July, Online
Before You Go
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