Shaine, founder of Hemp & Williams
Shaine Williams first had the idea to start a dairy free ice cream business when he ventured into a vegan diet and noticed a lack of vegan friendly options. After much experimenting with ingredients and processes, the 24 year old finally landed on an organic, vegan, dairy free, hemp based ice cream…Shaine, founder of Hemp & Williams
Shaine Williams first had the idea to start a dairy free ice cream business when he ventured into a vegan diet and noticed a lack of vegan friendly options. After much experimenting with ingredients and processes, the 24 year old finally landed on an organic, vegan, dairy free, hemp based ice cream. At this stage, Shaine admits, “I was an idealistic kid with a pipe-dream”. He had very little money, no clear direction and no resources. Shaine worked at a security job to cover his basic living expenses and was in receipt of housing benefits but he was desperate to break out of the social security system and to be his own boss.
“I enrolled in a Lambeth enterprise programme but abandoned it soon after because I could not relate to the general, classroom style teaching.” But this did not discourage him from trying another one, and this time he found a fit with Hatch Enterprise. As a young entrepreneur in Lambeth Shaine received full bursaries for Hatch’s Launchpad then Incubator Programme, where he clarified his idea, created a business model, and tested both his product and business. Shaine reflects fondly on his time at Hatch as an important period for learning and personal growth.
Since graduating Shaine has devoted himself to finalising branding and selling under his new brand Hemp and Williams. “It’s been a learning curve. I never knew how many steps were involved.” He has been in contact with retailers and restaurants around South London and hopes to secure markets for the summer. “Ice-cream isn’t the easiest sell in winter so I’m gearing up for summer when I can make the best impression.”
Despite living at home, he, like so many other entrepreneurs, works part-time to sustain himself and his business. But he is looking forward to the day where he can invest all his energy in his business. “I truly believe that people should be doing what they are passionate about.”
In February 2017 Shaine was awarded £800 through Hatch’s Opportunity Fund, which he intends to put towards branding and insurance costs. He also recently had an investment offer of £10,000 - an incredible accomplishment so early on! As is the case with young entrepreneurs, Shaine has no shortage of spirit, energy and dedication. Now equipped with practical business knowledge, a mentors and a supportive community he feels he can stand as an entrepreneur and follow his passion.
Maria, founder of Big Mouth Gets
In late 2014 we introduced Maria to the political social media platform ‘GovFaces’ and together they collaborated on creating an infographic on the House of Common’s Digital Democracy Commission Report (published in January 2015)…Maria, founder of Big Mouth Gets
In late 2014 we introduced Maria to the political social media platform ‘GovFaces’ and together they collaborated on creating an infographic on the House of Common’s Digital Democracy Commission Report (published in January 2015).
The commissioners of the report were pleased with the work, chosing to publish the infographic on the UK Parliament’s website with a feature on Big Mouth Gets.
After this success, we encouraged her to continue networking. After attending a Starbucks event, where she met the UK Youth CEO, the connections she made led to Bite The Ballot seeing her work and becoming a full-time client.
Maria asked for our advice on the new opportunity and we counselled her against taking a full-time position, as it would not build her business. Instead, we advised her to start a partnership agreement with Bite The Ballot, meaning Big Mouth Gets could work with other clients too. This approach helped the team work on amazing projects, leading to major clients, including UK Youth and recently the World Health Organisation. Big Mouth Gets has also had the opportunity to work, through Bite The Ballot, on projects for Twitter UK, Starbucks UK, UNILAD and LEGO. The team’s work has been exhibited by London councils on advertising boards across London, and has been projected on the Welsh Assembly.
Two years on we continue to support Maria, and believe that it was crucial for us to be there on her journey and to be at hand when she came up against challenges or major decisions.
Big Mouth Gets is now a growing self-sustaining business with a diverse client base, employing regular freelance staff and turning over 50k. With this growth, the business’s support needs are changing and Hatch continues to support Big Mouth Gets on its journey.
“Through Hatch we are constantly connecting with experienced professionals, getting involved with great opportunities and receiving invaluable advice on maintaining a lucrative, scalable business. Most importantly, the programme gave me more confidence, and a great group of mentors and friends who constantly support our venture every step of the way. Being able to seek advice on an ongoing basis has made all the difference.”
Toby, founder of Piece of the Puzzle
Toby Lyons, aged 29 and living in Lambeth, joined Hatch Incubator Cohort 9 (February to May 2017) with his non-profit organisation “Piece of The Puzzle”, a fundraising platform for grassroots educational charities around the world. With a background in international development, Toby had identified local, community driven charities…Toby, founder of Piece of the Puzzle
Toby Lyons, aged 29 and living in Lambeth, joined Hatch Incubator Cohort 9 (February to May 2017) with his non-profit organisation “Piece of The Puzzle”, a fundraising platform for grassroots educational charities around the world. With a background in international development, Toby had identified local, community driven charities to be among those that deliver excellent standards of childcare and education in developing-world countries, despite remaining underfunded and underexposed. Piece of the Puzzle’s aim is to connect tourists and people that travel and want to donate to the local community via the beneficiary charities in a transparent way, in order to increase access to and quality of education around the world.
The organisation was at a very early stage when Toby decided to embark on a journey with Hatch; he had just started connecting donors (friends and family) with charities in Goa which has helped a charity to pay for 5 children’s tuition fees. He was going through a tough time himself, being unemployed and looking for part time or full time work to support himself while continuing with his venture.
Hatch provided him with a bursary that allowed him to keep working on his project and to focus on the challenges he was facing. At that time Toby had just recruited his first corporate partner and wanted to be accountable to them. He was also willing to understand how to raise funds for Piece of the Puzzle to make the business sustainable.
Since completing the 12-week Hatch Incubator, Toby has made huge progress: he has not only grown his network (thanks to his mentor and to the connections made at Hatch Pitch Day) but he has also grown in confidence. Toby says: “I now feel that I am able to clearly articulate the steps needed to reach my business goals. I am very close to launching my venture in the first partner country.”
Vanessa, founder of Coco Gourmand
When I first encountered the Hatch program, I had already created an award winning confectionery brand. I was at a point where I knew my product was popular but I could no longer operate it as I had done up until then, on my own with help from friends. My cash flow was a big problem, pricing and general supply chain caused many problems not only in terms of efficiency but long term viability.Vanessa, founder of Coco Gourmandd
When I first encountered the Hatch program, I had already created an award winning confectionery brand. I was at a point where I knew my product was popular but I could no longer operate it as I had done up until then, on my own with help from friends. My cash flow was a big problem, pricing and general supply chain caused many problems not only in terms of efficiency but long term viability.
Hatch’s workshops offered clarity in terms of all the elements I needed to expand my business. They made me realise that I’m running a sales machine that needs oiling with the help of resources: human, financial etc. Being matched with my mentor really helped my decision-making process. I was able to really sit down and flesh-out every single aspect of my business, especially finance which happened to be my greatest weakness.
The on-going support from Hatch is really unique. I’ve been on other programs and although they were great, the follow-up is rarely there. However, I view the hatch team like family, they really care about the growth of my business. They often check-in, share and support our endeavours with their network and whenever there’s something that might be of interest, they include the graduates.
I've finished promoting my cookery book, Creole Kitchen, which was published by Pavilion. It’s been very well received and will also be released internationally. I’ve also launched my culinary tour of the Caribbean that stem from the pop-up culinary events I organised across London. Hatch has been instrumental in the development of my business, I wouldn’t be where I am now without them.
We’re levelling the playing field to ensure all entrepreneurs, no matter their background, can succeed
We’re levelling the playing field to ensure all entrepreneurs, no matter their background, can succeed
Our mission is to empower underrepresented entrepreneurs to imagine, launch and grow sustainable and impactful businesses through tailored support, community and partnerships. Since 2014, Hatch has supported more than 5,000 entrepreneurs on their journey to build sustainable, impactful businesses, bringing them together with the experience and skills of more than 1000 mentors and coaches in the process. Up until early 2020, the majority of the entrepreneurs we worked with were based in London and the South East. Having since taken our portfolio of support programmes online, increasingly we now work with entrepreneurs from right across the UK.
The majority of our founders identify as women (65%), with six in ten coming from ethnic minorities (60%). We’re proud to work with a large number of entrepreneurs who run a social enterprise or mission-driven business (50% across all founders), playing our part in improving London and the UK’s startup ecosystem by bringing together more founders from underrepresented backgrounds.
90%
Have told us they felt more resilient after attending our programmes
700+
Have successfully completed our core programmes since 2014
5000+
Have received support through our webinars and events since 2014
Meet Dana...
A changemaker who figured out her purpose is to disrupt and improve black history education.
Read their story
Meet Liz...
The environmentalist on a mission to ensure our future is free of single-use materials and pollution.
Read their story
Meet Jane...
A full-time lawyer with a serious sweet tooth who set out to create an ethical, luxury, free-from ice cream with a conscience.
Read their story
£250
Billion
could be added to the UK economy if women in the UK were able to start and scale new businesses at the same rate as men*
We’re helping to change this by …
… supporting women entrepreneurs with the skills and networks they need to start, grow and scale their businesses
We believe that achieving gender parity in business is essential for the continued success of our society. So we created our Female Founders programme designed specifically to support women with the tools they need to overcome the inequality currently endemic in business.
65%
Of founders on our core programmes are women
93%
of women reported an increase in leadership skills because of our programmes
*Natwest, ‘The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship’, 2019
I received really high quality financial and legal advice from the connections Hatch has found for us. These have been invaluable opportunities.
Khaleelah Jones
Careful Feet Digital Agency
<8%
of businesses in the UK are social enterprises…
Yet 47% of social enterprises grew their turnover in 2018*
We’re helping to ensure more social enterprises are started, grow and survive by…
… Providing bespoke support to every cohort of impact founders, from legal advice, to leadership skills and finance.
Being an impact business ourselves, we understand the challenges and opportunities that impact businesses (including social enterprises, CICs and charities) face, and we believe that we are well placed to offer experience-based support. We do this through our dedicated programmes that leverage our collective knowledge and expertise to the benefit of the impact ventures we support, without making them dependent on us.50%
Of founders on our core programmes run an impact business
92%
of impact founders reported an increase in their ability to raise funding
*Hidden Revolution: Social Enterprise in 2018
What ultimately attracted me to Hatch was its willingness to work with founders at the earliest stage in their journey.
Timi Merriman-Johnson
Mr Moneyjar
<7%
of small businesses are run by ethnic minorities… Yet diverse founders are 58% likelier to be engaged in product innovation*
We’re helping to change this by …
… tackling the gap by providing racially minoritised entrepreneurs with access to the skills, networks and opportunities needed to succeed.
We’re actively working to broaden entrepreneurship to ensure the business landscape is truly reflective of UK society as a whole and that it gives founders from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to start and grow a business. We want to highlight both the challenges and opportunities that come with supporting their businesses .
60%
of our founders come from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds
90%
of participants reported an increase in understanding of their vision, purpose and values
* FSB, Unlocking Opportunity, 2020
We have been surrounded by a supportive community, experienced professionals and most importantly a safe space to share our own mistakes!
Sonya Barlow
LMF Network
81%
of SMEs, comprising over 30% of the UK’s economy, felt they haven’t had enough support from the government*
We’re helping to change this by …
… Providing bespoke support to every cohort of founders, from legal advice, to leadership skills and finance.
In direct response to Covid-19 pandemic we launched our 121 Skilled Volunteering programme which provides outreach and resources, runs events, and matches entrepreneurs with 1-2-1 expert advice. We help them solve key business challenges and provide them with the support they need to adapt their business models, increase their knowledge and confidence, maintain their staffing, and continue trading.
270+
Founders have been through our 121 Skilled Volunteer programme
95%
of participants reported an increase in their skills, knowledge or confidence
*Simply Business, ‘The impact of Covid-19 on UK small business’, 2021
I don’t think I’d have been in such a strong position to do this if it hadn’t been for Hatch.
Louise Winter
Poetic Endings
Partner with us
With your support, we can help more impact businesses, women-led businesses and ethnic minority-led businesses deliver positive impact into the world. By partnering with Hatch, you can meet your CSR goals and engage your employees in volunteering with impactful businesses.
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I sometimes wonder who has learned more from whom, my mentee from me or me from my mentee. She is an inspiration to me.
Claudia Coppenolle
Head of Digital Market Management, Deutsche Bank
Meet Dana...
A changemaker who figured out her purpose is to disrupt and improve black history education.
Growing up Dana rarely saw heroes who looked like her or her ancestors. And sadly, even when her parents wanted to share stories about their past, they just didn’t have enough information about their ancestors because it was never passed down to them. It was almost as if their history had been erased.
As an adult, she taught herself about genealogy and began researching her family history. While learning about her ancestors and gaining insight into where she came from, she figured out her new purpose: to disrupt and improve history education. In 2016 she set up Ancestors UnKnown to provide heritage education to students to help them discover their ancestors and untold histories worldwide.
The primary change is my increased confidence. I now feel like I have the tools and skills to grow my business, even in the face of setbacks and challenges.
In addition, I have acquired new partnerships, created 3 new revenue streams (online course, consulting, and Bristol school/ community partnership), developed a fundraising plan (grant funding and angel investment), AND registered the business as a CIC in the UK! Now, I’m inspired and believe I’m fully capable of turning Ancestors unKnown into a strong, unique, sustainable, and world-changing organisation.
Dana Saxon,
Founder, Ancestors unKnownMeet Tom...
The founder using music to benefit young lives.
When Tom joined the Hatch Incubator in 2015 his social enterprise was little more than an idea, but with a strong methodology of using music to help young people from disadvantaged areas succeed in the education system. We advised him on his legal structure, but with everything having to be set-up from scratch, our pro-bono law partner Skadden did most of the heavy lifting.
Through the Incubator programme we helped him refine his business model, we also accompanied Tom through our mentorship programme. Hatch continued to share ways to engage corporate funders, a model Tom was keen to try. SGS now has an impact on 350 young people across 50 schools in London. SGS has been featured in various publications and has appeared on Sky News to comment on a report about the worsening state of music education.
Hatch has been instrumental in where SGS is today. The team has supported us with securing funding, helped with communicating our offer in a clear way and pointed us towards a range of helpful local opportunities.”
Tom Scott,
Founder, School Ground SoundsMeet Liz...
The environmentalist on a mission to ensure our future is free of single-use materials and pollution.
16 million tonnes of plastic is predicted to enter our oceans in 2030, double the current rate. This does not include inland pollution or that by other materials like metals and glass.After seeing how flooded her waterways were with plastic pollution, Lizzie Carr decided to set up Planet Patrol.
Planet Patrol is a community-focused, solution-orientated, non-profit organisation: a movement of people working for a cleaner future. Liz joined the Planet Patrol team in 2018 and sits at the helm of delivering all Planet Patrol’s global campaigns.
The Hatch programme has been incredible from both a personal development and organisational development perspective. I have been really impressed with how the Hatch team quickly adapted the programme for a virtual environment and the strength and diversity of experts and speakers at each session.
I found the programme to be an important day of the month - a day to take a bit of time away from the busy day to day and focus on strategy, think outside the box and think through learnings for the organisation as a whole.
Liz Heard,
Founder Planet PatrolMeet Jane...
A full-time lawyer with a serious sweet tooth who set out to create an ethical, luxury, free-from ice cream with a conscience.
When out with friends Jane found it difficult to find tasty free-from desserts which were not laden with chemicals. In 2019, she decided to set up Mama Dolce, a luxurious ice cream brand with flavours that do not compromise on taste, and free from eggs, dairy, soy, nuts, wheat and gluten. They are also committed to better serving the communities that they operate in by supporting students from low socio-economic backgrounds to gain credible opportunities to work in the food and beverage industry.
I have become more confident and have used the tools that Hatch has provided me with to develop a stronger business model which has enabled me to develop a much stronger brand message. Through the expert sessions, I have been able to set up a much stronger support network and have been able to use the help that I have received to strengthen my business proposition.
Jane Visram,
Founder, Mama Dolce
