BIPC Jumpstart returns for 2023 with £75,000 of grants, advice and tools to help new local businesses in Cambridgeshire.

An established and popular business grants and support programme returns this September with a prize pot that has more than tripled in size since the programme began in 2021.

With nearly 200 local businesses benefitting to date, the third installment of Jumpstart will award grants from a pot of £75,000 to up to 24 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough based start-up and pre-start businesses.

The overall winners, set to be announced in early 2024, will be determined following a live 'Dragon’s Den' style pitch event, where each business will present to a panel of judges.

The grants will be available for capital expenditure, with a number of prizes available across four different tiers: this will be three platinum awards of £10,000; three gold awards of £6,000; three silver awards of £4,000 and 15 bronze awards of £1,000.

The criteria for entering is the business has to have been based in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough and established on or since December 1, 2022, or those in the imminent start up stage are eligible for the programme.

Applications are welcome from all business types and particularly encouraged from traditionally underrepresented groups including female entrepreneurs, ethnic minority, LGBTQ+ and refugee businesses owners.

Before making an application, business owners must attend at least three live BIPC training sessions before November 17.

Further information about the application criteria and process can be found online at: www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/BIPCjumpstart.

A shortlist will be announced in January, with those on the list invited to access 1:1 expert support from a mentor, ahead of submitting business plan financials.

Finalists will be announced in February, before our judges hear from the business owners at the pitch events set to take place between February 27 and March 1.

A celebration event will follow, where the names of the overall winners will be announced.