Seeds Hub, a project of Caritas Westminster, is thrilled to be piloting a new three-month Accelerator Programme in partnership with Bootstrap Charity, a Hackney-based organisation supporting small businesses. Starting on 1st May 2025, the programme aims to equip entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds with the knowledge, skills and collaborative opportunities they need to grow their business.
The launch of the programme marks an exciting step for Seeds Hub, which looks forward to building on its presence in Wembley by supporting businesses based at Bootstrap Charity’s workspace in Dalston. The course will run alongside Seeds Hub’s existing Accelerator Programme in Wembley, which will move online as the Wembley hub undergoes refurbishment.
Course participants will benefit from weekly workshops covering essential business skills such as sales, finance and marketing. The partnership with Bootstrap, a home for social entrepreneurs for nearly 50 years, will give participants the added benefit of access to the community’s expertise, resources and networking opportunities. As part of the programme, some entrepreneurs can be matched with established business founders residing at Bootstrap, to help them navigate the early stages of business growth.
Kathy Margerison, Head of Enterprise at Caritas Westminster, shared her enthusiasm for the Hackney programme:
I’m thrilled that Seeds Hub is partnering with Bootstrap, an organisation with deep roots in the Hackney community and a dedication to supporting local businesses that stretches back over 50 years. Housed within such a diverse, talented, and entrepreneurial community as Bootstrap, I’m confident that our Accelerator Programme will flourish. I am delighted that Hackney will be our first pilot project away from Wembley.
By partnering with Bootstrap, Seeds Hub continues to grow a model that fosters collaboration and creates stronger businesses communities across London. Bootstrap Charity’s CEO David Williams added:
Bootstrap has been supporting local entrepreneurs and small businesses in Hackney for close to 50 years by offering workspace, mentoring, and business advice. We are working with Seeds Hub to bring their established programme to Hackney, which will support people that want to start responsible businesses. We look forward to welcoming Seeds Hub and the course participants to our little corner of Dalston.
Seeds Hub, a project of Caritas Westminster, supports entrepreneurs from low-income and under-represented backgrounds who want to start or grow a business for good. The initiative aims to tackle an acute lack of diversity in the start-up community, by providing courses, mentoring and a workspace to business founders from across and beyond the Diocese of Westminster.
Find out more about Seeds Hub’s programmes here.
Register your interest for the Wembley and Hackney Accelerator Programmes.
Follow Seeds Hub’s latest updates on LinkedIn and Instagram.
