Incubator
Incubator Program
WHERE BUSINESSES AND SOCIAL IMPACT COLLIDE.
We’re anything but ordinary. As a not-for-profit organisation with a commitment to addressing social challenges, we’re overhauling communities, one passion project at a time. Unlocking the use of ‘Meanwhile Spaces,’ where vacant spaces are temporarily converted into bustling social projects, we’ll help you mould big ideas into community-first start-ups. Injecting a sense of vibrancy into local neighbourhoods, we’re nurturing community cohesion, reviving the high street, and putting our stamp on your ESG strategy.
Transforming abandoned factories into fashion hubs, disused shops into start-up incubators, and neglected homes into hackspaces, we’re morphing unkept London neighbourhoods into a melting pot of community-first businesses. From encouraging a U-turn on antisocial behaviour to breathing life back into our high streets, we are the change we want to see in the world, having joined forces with 80 SMEs – and counting.
We don’t want to fit your ideas into a box. Partnering with creative minds and off-the-wall thinkers, we view our role as your social sidekick, building strong foundations, overseeing your progress, and nurturing your visions – not changing them. Through specialist support, stringent training provisions, and a network of invaluable contacts, combined with a web of seed funding options, we exist to help early-stage businesses leave lasting legacies.
Collaborating with bold, social-conscious entrepreneurs, we’re seeking individuals who want to go against the grain; The type of entrepreneur who sees injustice and runs towards it – not away. The type of entrepreneur who lives and breathes their social mission. And ultimately, the type of entrepreneur who wants to drive a new age of community, where people come before profits and ‘social impact’ isn’t just a buzz phrase – it’s woven through their DNA.
We go far beyond placing a disused building at your fingertips. Setting your early-stage business up for success, we pride ourselves on rolling up our sleeves and positioning our team at the heart of the action, giving you access to our network, developing your goals, and acting as your dedicated business advisor.
With a hand-vetted team of entrepreneurs, community engagement experts and space revitalisation specialists, we have the tools to transform budding ideas into game-changing solutions. Tasked with guiding you through, our advisors call upon rich problem-solving skills, a flair for pushing boundaries, and a healthy dose of encouragement, woven together to deliver on-the-ground support.
Nurturing your project lifecycle, from developing a water-tight strategy and accessing seed funding to re-examining your goals as your vision comes to life, we will play a pivotal role in your early-stage business’ behind-the-scenes. Through frequent meetings, meticulous goal setting, and a lengthy discussion on how we can best support you, we’ll create strong foundations for you to build upon.
Invested in your long-term success, we view social enterprises through a panoramic lens, identifying short-term strategies, navigating a seamless journey away from the meanwhile space, and importantly, determining the best route towards sustainable success. Balancing an innate entrepreneurial spirit with a drive to do ‘good’, we want you to thrive beyond The Utilize Project.
When we say we care – we mean it. Introducing you to our 80 strong network of businesses led by Mahmud Shahnawaz, we’re putting your social enterprise in the most experienced of hands. Fostering a culture of lifelong learning, your start-up will have round-the-clock access to industry specialists, key resources, and the commitment to making an impact that makes us…us.
Discover Mahmud Shahnawaz’s background in tech and entrepreneurship. Learn from our unmatched space revitalisation experience. Tap into The Utilize Family’s extensive history within campaigns and community engagement. Having built a multidisciplinary team, each boasting a unique skill set, we’re best positioned to drive long-term growth.
Alongside our in-house trio, you’ll have access to our vast networks across London. Putting you within touching distance of world-class thought-leaders, investors, marketing specialists, accountants, and entrepreneurs, we’ll come together as one to make a real impact. Through the role of business matchmaker, we’ll identify the support you need, and bring you the expertise to suit.
As part of our devotion to continued education, we’ll connect you with a series of fellow social entrepreneurs. Inciting light-bulb moments, inspiring change, and igniting the fire inside of you, we encourage our partners to act as soundboards, bouncing ideas off one another, building strategic connections, and learning from each other’s successes.
We love success stories. As part of our drive to build better, safer, more purposeful communities for future generations, we have partnered with local funders and investors, each united by their desire to use the power of the pound for the greater good.
As a not-for-profit organisation, we’ll never support your venture for financial gain. Connecting ambitious social entrepreneurs with a network of seed funding options, our role entails leading you to the right support. From loans and grants to deep-pocketed venture capital funds, we’ll introduce you to our hand-vetted selection of finance options, helping you develop a pitch, forecast financial performance, and spotlight your social impact.
Bridging the gap between investors and funders, and social entrepreneurs and up-and-coming start-ups, we’re pressing ‘reset’ on London’s neglected neighbourhoods. Creating a reality where accessible commercial rent, revitalised high streets, and community-first spaces are the norm – not a luxury, we’re driving a new age of collaborative projects.
We support you; The social enterprise seeking affordable commercial rent. The charity on the lookout for hands-on guidance. And the ambitious entrepreneur with a stand-out ESG strategy. From early-stage businesses set to hit ‘refresh’ on the high street to start-ups seeking seed funding, there’s one core attribute on our must-have list – a drive to make the world a better place.
At The Utilize Project, we believe that there is no set route towards ‘change’. Partnering with social entrepreneurs of all scopes, from start-ups, charities, and pop-up businesses to purpose-driven community groups, we view our meanwhile spaces as a tool, harbouring social enterprises as they spearhead change.
We look at ‘community’ through a wide-scope lens, examining short-, medium-, and long-term needs, before identifying the most appropriate social enterprises to suit. Whether you’re a social entrepreneur with powerful local ambitions or a start-up with global goals, your application will be thoughtfully considered, no matter what stage you’re at.
It starts with a click. We’re inviting social entrepreneurs from across London to tell us about their venture via [email protected]. Whether you’d like to soundboard an idea, learn about the faces behind The Utilize Project, or submit your application, we’re just an email away.
To ensure we’re focusing our resources, network, and expertise where they count, we encourage all applicants to submit supporting documents where possible. While a rigorous business plan isn’t necessary, we invite you to put the spotlight on your big idea with a brief written overview – or why not get creative with a get-to-know-you video?
We love huge goals – but we love ambitious people more. At the heart of our vetting process lies a look at the social entrepreneur behind the pitch, so we always encourage applicants to provide an insight into who they are. On the lookout for a scalable business idea, an undeniable community focus, and readiness to go all-in, we don’t want glossy proposals. We want to partner with people who truly care.
