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Ready to turn that business idea into a reality or take the next step for your business? Sign up to the New Founder Programme, where you’ll join a community of like minded founders, access skills training and learn from industry experts to help you accelerate your success.
Since launching in May 2021, the partnership between Hatch Enterprise and Pizza Hut has supported more than 1,000 UK founders through launchpad and incubator support programmes, numerous events and workshops, plus one to one mentoring and coaching. To date, we’ve awarded more than 40 grants to founders to the tune of £80,000.
We want to support more UK founders from underrepresented backgrounds, providing them with the business skills to help them grow sustainable businesses that have a positive, lasting impact on their communities. Our renewed partnership with Pizza Hut means that we are able to continue these programmes at a subsidised cost, making them even more accessible to founders who need them most.
Hatch really helped us clarify our process and our vision, discussing our idea with our peers helped us refine develop our confidence in talking about it too.
Erica Rutherford
Axtionery
6000+
6,000+ support hours to UK founders to date.
9 in 10
9 in 10 founders say they leave with strengthened business and management skills.
35%
35% - the average increase in turnover from founders to fate.
Launchpad
The New Founder Launchpad is for entrepreneurs who have a business idea, understand the problem they are trying to solve, and are ready to start their entrepreneurial journey.
This selective programme is for fifteen early-stage entrepreneurs who want to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to get their businesses up and running. You’ll be part of a close-knit cohort of entrepreneurs, learn from experts, and at the end you’ll get the chance to pitch your business live to a panel of friendly Dragons.
Applications closed.
Please view our programmes page for other opportunities or join our waiting list to be the first to hear when we run future editions of the programme.
Incubator
The New Founder Incubator is for entrepreneurs who have started a business and want to take the next step to grow it sustainably. It’s suitable for you if you have already started making money, or have customers or clients, and have at least one part-time member of staff, which could be you.
This selective programme is for fifteen entrepreneurs who want to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to turn their side hustle into a full-time job. You’ll be part of a close-knit cohort of entrepreneurs, learn from experts, and at the end you’ll get the chance to pitch your business live to a panel of friendly Dragons.
Applications closed.
Please view our programmes page for other opportunities or join our waiting list to be the first to hear when we run future editions of the programme.I had some really amazing key takeaways. You’re getting this fountain of knowledge from the experts leading the sessions and the mentors we get matched with. I presented my mentor with a challenge of how I might get more funding, and she turned around and gave me some amazing tips and advice on how to look into alternative ways. She even gave me some useful advice around my podcast and how I could become a thought leader, which in turn would help me generate income which I could then reinvest and focus on the brand.
It was an amazing community to be a part of. I had no idea that this type of thing existed, the fact that this level of support is available for founders and is virtually free is incredible. I turned up to the first session thinking I had to have all the answers and be on top of everything at all times. What being on the New Founder Launchpad programme taught me was, you just have to do what works for you and build a business around that, that works for you.
My takeaway from the programme was being connected with fellow founders. The business journey is a very lonely one, and you realise just how much of the work is done in your head. Being able to connect to a community was such a beautiful experience, sharing and listening to everyone else’s testimonies, their journeys and struggles and then how they overcame them was such a journey to share with others. Thank you once again for your support. I'm absolutely over the moon [about the grant] and extremely grateful!
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Applications closed.
Please view our programmes page for other opportunities or join the waiting list to be the first to hear when our next programmes launch.
About Pizza Hut’s An Equal Slice for Everyone
Pizza Hut’s parent company, Yum! Brands, recognise they have a role to play in helping to address some of society’s greatest systemic challenges.
Yum! has a long history of running highly effective social impact programmes that deliver meaningful change to local communities. In 2020, Yum! announced their Unlocking Opportunity Initiative, to enable brands such as Pizza Hut to expand their social impact reach, enabling them to develop localised, impactful programmes.
In 2021 Pizza Hut UK partnered with Hatch to develop their New Founder Programme, which crystallises Pizza Hut’s commitment to providing opportunities for all – no matter their background or life circumstances. Over the past three years, the brand has activated its social impact work to support underrepresented founders realise their dreams, and creating an Equal Slice for Everyone.
‘An equal slice’ is the guiding principle for Pizza Hut and the spark for initiatives like The New Founder Programme that make the world a fairer place for our people, our customers and our communities.
Pizza Hut’s partnership with Hatch through the New Founder Programme has been a powerful tool in advocating for better diversity and inclusion.
By focusing on underrepresented entrepreneurs, we’re not just shaping the future of our business – itself built on a network of entrepreneurs who own and operate their own Pizza Hut businesses in the UK – but also contributing to a fairer, more vibrant landscape for the next generation of UK founders. It’s a commitment to fostering innovation, empowering diverse voices, creating opportunities and inspiring a wave of positive change. Success knows no bounds when everyone has a seat at the table.
Emily Curtis
Head of Field People Operations & Social Purpose, Pizza Hut
About Hatch
Since 2014, Hatch has supported more than 9,000 founders from across the UK to grow and flourish.
We use a pioneering approach that uses a mix of events, peer learning, hands-on seminars and 1 on 1 support to give people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds a chance to make their mark and help create a fairer society through entrepreneurship.
What next for the New Founder Programme?
Thanks to a renewed partnership between Pizza Hut and Hatch Enterprise in 2024, we’re able to continue supporting founders from right across the UK to launch and grow businesses and social enterprises at a crucial early stage through our launchpads and incubators.
Frequently asked questions
Launchpads are for entrepreneurs who have a business idea, understand the problem they are trying to solve, and are ready to start their entrepreneurial journey. Over six workshops, you will learn the basics of entrepreneurial mindset, business strategy, finance, marketing and pitching that you need to get your business off the ground.
Incubators are for entrepreneurs who have been running their business for some time and are ready to start focusing on growth and expanding their team. Over nine workshops, you will learn the skills you need in business modelling, product/market fit, finance, legal, branding, wellbeing and pitching in order to make your side hustle your full-time job.
Accelerators are business and leadership programmes that have been designed for entrepreneurs who are ready to scale their business and impact. Over twelve workshops, you will evaluate your personal leadership strengths and the opportunities for your business to grow, and tap into the knowledge of the other entrepreneurs on the programme to plan your path to sustainable growth.
You can see all the programmes we’re currently offering on our programmes page: www.hatchenterprise.org/our-programmes
Hatch programmes are for entrepreneurs based in the UK. Every programme we run has different application criteria that allows us to best tailor our support.
This New Founders programme aims to level the playing field in entrepreneurship, so we welcome and prioritise applications from underrepresented groups including Black, Asian, and Ethnic Minority founders, women and other marginalised genders, disabled founders, and LGBTQIA+ founders. Some cohorts are reserved for entrepreneurs who meet specific criteria, which you can see on each application form.
The New Founders Launchpad is suitable for you if you:
- Have a business idea and want to launch your own business
- Want to increase your business knowledge, skills and confidence
- Want to be part of a cohort of other entrepreneurs
- Are based in the UK
The New Founders Incubator is suitable for you if you:
- Are based in the UK
- Have a minimum viable product, have started trading or have a business background
- Want to increase your business knowledge, skills and confidence
- Want to be part of a cohort of other entrepreneurs
- Are based in the UK
The New Founders Hackathon is suitable for you if you:
- You have identified a social or environmental problem you would like to tackle
- Are based in the UK
You can express your interest in one of our programmes using the application form. Try to answer the questions in as much detail as possible, as we don’t ask applicants to submit a business plan or model. The programme manager will then be in touch to let you know if you are invited to an interview as the next stage. In the interview, we will ask questions about yourself and your business to see if you are a good fit for the programme. After the interview, we’ll let you know if you have been selected to take part in the programme.
In each of our programmes you will get access to:
- Expert-led workshops
- Facilitated group sessions with other entrepreneurs
- 1-2-1 support
- Support developing and practicing your pitch
- Networking and events
- Membership of Hatch’s community of founders
Until further notice we will continue to run all of our programmes online.
No. Hatch’s programmes provide support to entrepreneurs, but we don’t take any equity or stake in your business.
Like most early-stage programmes, Hatch cannot sign an NDA, but we won’t share any confidential information from the application process or interviews.
Most of the Hatch team either have been or are entrepreneurs, so we understand how tricky it is to commit to recurring meetings when life is so busy. However, one of the most encouraging pieces of feedback we receive from entrepreneurs is that our programmes allow them to take a step back, to work on the business rather than in it. Therefore we ask that participants attend at least 75% of all workshops and events.
After you finish the programme, you will become part of the Hatch community. You can continue to interact with other entrepreneurs, join events, and share news and opportunities.
For the Hackathon, you are both welcome to book places separately and take part together.
For the Launchpad, Incubator and Accelerator programmes, we ask that there is one primary founder who takes part in the programme and attends the workshops. Co-founders or business partners are welcome to attend some events and 121 support alongside the main founder.