Creative UK is launching the Devon Create Growth Programme for creative businesses in Devon after helping Devon County Council to deliver a successful funding application from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The programme is aimed at companies, CICs and charities in the design, fashion, architecture, film, broadcast, createch, gaming, immersive, publishing, music, theatre, art, heritage, craft and media sectors in Devon, who are invited to a launch event on Monday 12 February at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon.
Attend Barnstaple launch event – 12 February
Interested creatives can drop in for an informal chat at the museum from 2.00pm and/or attend the launch event at 4.30pm on Monday 12 February – register for this free event at wearecreative.uk.
Devon Create Growth Programme
Does your business have creativity at its heart?
As a founder, do you need help building your confidence to make decisions on investment, IP, business structures and growth plans?
The Devon Create Growth Programme aims to support creative businesses in planning for growth and exploring and securing commercial investment opportunities.
The programme will be delivered by Creative UK in partnership with West of England Combined Authority, Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council, Devon County Council, Exeter City Council, University of Plymouth, Plymouth Culture and Real Ideas Organisation.
There are two stages to the programme.
Stage 1
A six-month programme designed to give creative businesses the knowledge and confidence to grow their commercial models and explore investment opportunities:
- Access workshops designed to unlock your commercial capacity and describe routes to investment and growth
- Two one-to-one mentoring sessions to define and refine your business ambitions
- Access to the Ethical Equity Simulator – a unique piece of software that enables users to
learn about the different types of investment from a practical point of view.
Stage 2
A nine-month investment readiness programme for businesses who are ambitious about commercial models, growth and investment:
- On-going one-to-one mentoring to address your challenges and craft a bespoke nine-month journey for your business
- A course of workshops covering business foundations and sector-specific challenges
- Opportunities to meet and pitch to investors
For more details of the programme visit wearecreative.uk – or attend the launch event.
Create Growth background
The Create Growth Programme is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and follows on from the commitment from the UK Government to prioritise development of the creative sector and wider industry to ensure creative businesses can flourish. Creative UK is already delivering Create Growth Programmes in the North-East, Cornwall and South- East, and is extending that work with the West of England Combined Authority and partners in Devon to launch a programme that is tailored to the region and the creative sub sectors based here.
A key aim of the Create Growth Programme is to support creative businesses to explore and secure commercial investment opportunities. To this end each of the selected regions will have a programme of activity that will enable businesses to be ready for investment and facilitate access to additional funding from Innovate UK and commercial investors in 2024 and beyond.
Caroline Norbury, CEO of Creative UK, said: “The second iteration of Creative UK’s Create Growth Programme is an exciting step forward for businesses in Devon. The programme offers crucial opportunities for support, not just financially but around business development, industry collaboration, incubating creative talent and fostering cultural engagement in the region and this partnership with local authorities is a big leap towards helping our industry thrive and leverage our collective soft power.”
Sponsor of North Devon Artist Business Achievement Award
Creative UK is also sponsoring Business Action’s Artist Business Achievement Award 2024 which celebrates North Devon businesses that have successfully balanced the pursuit of their artistic and aesthetic aims with success as a viable commercial business.
North Devon creative businesses can enter this award for free before 12:00 midday on Tuesday 20 February 2024 – click to enter Artist Business Achievement Award.
