At Livebarefoot Fund we are happy to report back on the results of our first – of many! – Female Founders Incubator Programme which we’ve supported through our friends at Hatch Enterprise.
Hatch Enterprise has been working since 2014 to grow smart ideas from diverse and under-served communities into successful and profitable positive impact businesses.
With a special focus on creative industries, Hatch put together an inspiring group from a wide range of businesses for a 3-month-long programme of workshops, one-to-one sessions and facilitated group work. And the results? Increased turnover, employment and a 94% reported increase in financial knowledge, marketing, operations and communications to move their businesses forward.
As well as financial support, fifteen Vivobarefoot employees provided 1-2-1 mentorships to programme participants. “The mentoring session with Flavia de Souza from Vivobarefoot was instrumental in providing me with actionable steps to implement my social media strategy,” says Tahlia Grey, founder of Sheer Chemistry. “I had the opportunity to take over the Vivobarefoot Instagram account which fundamentally helped me promote my business to a wider audience and increase our following.”
Our CEO Galahad Clark and Sustainability Director Emma Hamilton-Foster hosted a Q&A session on building a responsible business while Dulma Clark, alongside peers from Google, Black Rock, eBay, Absolute Alchemy and Howden Broking, joined the ‘Demo Day’ graduation event as a ‘friendly dragon’ where participants pitched their businesses.
“It's been a game changer,” says Maris Passarelli, founder of Green Ramona. “From the people I've met to the information learned, it helped me grow as an entrepreneur. I am much more confident and have built a support team. I no longer feel like I'm alone in this.”
“Most definitely we are better placed today with a more focused financial model, great feedback on our pitch and also better strategies for customer discovery,” says Rajeshwari Iyer, founder of sAInaptic.
Recognising that at Vivobarefoot we have a long way to go in terms of our own diversity and in our work to dismantle structural racism, we’re excited about the future of this collaboration; connecting people to each other as well as to the natural world while building positive businesses.
Special thanks to Team Hatch for their hard work and dedication in supporting thousands of brilliant entrepreneurs!
