New UK-wide initiative ‘Breakthrough Founders’ launched to support entrepreneurs from overlooked groups

A new, outcomes-focused initiative will support 150 startups led by entrepreneurs from traditionally overlooked groups across the UK to raise investment and scale. Launched by a consortium of award-winning organisations, the programme replaces fragmented efforts with a joined-up national solution designed to deliver real funding outcomes.

Funded by Innovate UK, Breakthrough Founders offers a 12-month, fully funded pathway to investment designed specifically for overlooked and underrepresented founders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Breakthrough Founders officially opens for applications on 16 September 2025.

The initiative, which has an objective to advance the fundraising of 150 founders, and secure funding for at least 45 startups over the next eighteen months, targets founders who identify as women, an ethnic minority, neuro-diverse, disabled, LGBTQIA+, primary caregivers and those from low-income or non-traditional backgrounds including both 18-30 and 55+ age brackets.

The programme’s mission is simple: to support underrepresented entrepreneurs by giving them the tools, network and strategy to build, scale and close investment.

Breakthrough Founders has been created by four organisations that specialise in providing entrepreneurial and funding support. It is led by The200BnClub and delivered with the expertise of Catalyst, Focused for Business and Mint Ventures.

Founders will be assessed using a uniquely designed inclusive application process and placed into the most suitable support journey including ideation and incubation tracks, accelerator programmes for PreSeed to Series A start-ups. Each journey is delivered in rolling cohorts throughout the year, lasting between two and six months.

Bridget Greenwood, from The200BnClub, Lead Partner said:

“This programme is about tackling the barriers in the system — it’s more than just helping founders to navigate them. We’ve built intentional assessment tools, created tailored investment journeys, and designed a programme to grow a national pipeline of diverse angel investors while engaging aligned VCs — all of which reflects what actually gets results. Our goal is real impact, with at least 45 founders successfully funded.”

Patrick McIlveen, Head of Entrepreneurship and Scaling at Catalyst said:

“Fostering inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship is at the heart of everything we do at Catalyst, and so we are proud to join our partners in launching Breakthrough Founders.

“This programme is designed to capture those business founders who can be missed due to their background or circumstances. It will create new sustainable investment pathways and grow the opportunities needed to sustain a diverse pipeline of founders and funders in the UK.”

Hatty Fawcett, Founder of Focused for Business said:

“Raising early-stage investment is tough for any founder, but the statistics show it’s even harder for those from underrepresented groups. This funding is an important step towards levelling the playing field and building real momentum for change.

“It will support places on Focused For Business’ Funding Accelerator and extend our pilots with Mint Ventures to bring more diverse angels into early-stage investing – because when investors are more diverse, the founders who secure funding are too.Together, these initiatives can truly move the needle on access to investment for underrepresented founders – and that’s worth celebrating.”

Gillian Fleming, Managing Director from Mint Ventures said:

“This multi-entry level programme supports diverse founders to easily access the resources they need to grow their companies. Mint Ventures will support access to funding and investment through different educational pathways and flip the script to connect underfunded founders to the right investors.”

Breakthrough Founders is an operator-led, investor-focused programme and part of a growing national effort to ensure the UK’s innovation economy reflects the full breadth of its entrepreneurial talent. With participation from founders, funders and ecosystem partners across all UK regions, Breakthrough Founders will serve as a blueprint for future national inclusive investment strategies.

To find out more and to apply: www.breakthroughfounders.co.uk/

For more information please contact:

Jamie Stinson
jamie.stinson@wearecatalyst.org

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Hatty Fawcett

CEO & Founder at Focused For Business

Hatty is the founder of Focused For Business, and has a wealth of experience in growing startups and securing early-stage equity investment for startups. Hatty had a 15-year career in marketing before completing an MBA at Imperial College and working in a succession of startups. She raised over £250,000 for her own startup and also managing some of the investments former Dragon’s Den star Kelly Hoppen made when she appeared on the TV show. Hatty’s dual perspective, both as a founder who has secured investment and as a coach and advisor to startups raising investment, gives her a unique perspective which she uses to demystify the investment process and empower entrepreneurs. Her dedication to levelling the playing field in equity investment caused her to create the Funding Accelerator programme and has earned her the title of Adviser of the Year twice in 2022 and 2024 from Enterprise Nation. She was also a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in 2023.

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