Go! London makes waves across the capital
28 Feb 2024
A sustainable activewear and printing brand working with local young people, an app that removes barriers and tackles social isolation for young people by arranging sporting activities, and community walks geared towards young Muslim women were just some of the projects selected for the Go! London Young Entrepreneurs Start Up Programme.
12 young entrepreneurs aged 16-24 presented their ideas during a pitch day at the London Stadium to a high profile panel including Howard Dawber, London’s Deputy Mayor for Business. The standard of presentations was exceptional and ten ideas were selected in principle for the year-long learning programme, also receiving grants of £15,000 each.
It was a fantastic day and we were incredibly impressed by all the young entrepreneurs who took part. You can see some highlights below:
But the excitement didn’t stop there! The successful entrepreneurs were invited for a tour of City Hall where they met with officials from the Greater London Authority and had an inspiring session with Sat Singh, CEO and Founder of The Renaissance Foundation. Sat (who started The Renaissance Foundation as voluntary youth group before scaling it to a thriving organisation) stressed the importance of building partnerships as well as seizing opportunities as soon as they present themselves.
Speaking about the programme Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said “I know the huge difference that sport can make to physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and it’s vital that all young people can take full advantage of these benefits, no matter their personal circumstances. That’s why Go! London and this brilliant new programme for young entrepreneurs is so important – giving talented young people the chance to see their ideas become a reality and helping more Londoners get active.”
About the Go London Young Entrepreneurs Start Up Programme
Go! London is a five-year, £19.5m partnership between the Mayor, London Marathon Foundation and Sport England. Its new Go London Young Entrepreneurs Start Up Programme is supporting young people to develop business ideas which aim to improve Londoners’ access to sport and physical activity.
We’ll be opening applications to the next round of the programme soon: you can find out more here.