Webinar – Future Fund: accessing the Government’s new innovation fund

The UK Government have announced two initiatives to support the tech startup ecosystem at this difficult time, the Future Fund (£500 million) and additional loans and grants via Innovate UK (£750 million), to support high growth potential businesses and R&D intensive small and medium size firms in the UK. Join this webinar with Gila Sacks, Director, Digital and Tech Policy at DCMS, Francis Evans, Head of Business Finance, Business Growth Directorate at BEIS, Dom Hallas, Executive Director of Coadec and Dr. Jeremy Silver, CEO of Digital Catapult to discuss the needs of startups, the logistics of the Fund, and how to apply.

The world will be changed by the pandemic in ways we cannot yet explain. In times of economic duress, traditional businesses draw in their horns and become more conservative, yet this is exactly the time when innovation becomes most important. New times require new methods and new solutions – often provided by young and ambitious UK businesses!

The UK Government recently announced a £1.25 billion package for the tech startup ecosystem, including the Future Fund, an investment vehicle to ensure high-growth, innovative businesses get the financial support needed to survive the economic challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak. Launching at the beginning of May, the Future Fund will provide investment (structured as convertible loans) between £125k – £5m to UK based startups, which will be matched by private investors. The Government is also pledging £750 million through loans and grants via Innovate UK.

Who should attend?

This webinar is designed for startup founders, innovators and entrepreneurs to find out more about the Future Fund, eligibility criteria, to understand the logistics behind it, and how to apply.

Why attend?

This online webinar session will allow attendees to understand:

• what the Future Fund package entails and what startups are eligible
• where private investment matching can come from
• how deployment of funds will be prioritised (e.g. stage, sector etc)
• what Future Fund investment can be used for
• conversion terms of the Future Fund
• how to apply for the new grants via Innovate UK and what are the eligibility criteria

Speakers

• Dr. Jeremy Silver, CEO, Digital Catapult
• Gila Sacks, Director, Digital and Tech Policy, DCMS
• Dom Hallas, Executive Director, Coadec

Next steps

To join this webinar, please click here.