Creative Entrepreneurs

Established in 2014 by Cause4 and Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the Creative Entrepreneurs Programme is a business incubator initiative, offering training, mentoring & funding support to entrepreneurs in performing arts & creative industries. 

The Creative Entrepreneurs Programme is an intensive 12-month incubator that provides access to mentoring, training, business planning, marketing and funding, fin order to support budding entrepreneurs to turn their creative idea into a sustainable, long-term enterprise.

Led by Cause4’s Chief Executive, Michelle Wright, the programme offers expertise from across the team including Director of Strategy and Programmes, David Johnson; Director of Development and Enterprise, Ben Wilson, and Head of Development, Annie Jarvis. It also provides access to a range of top professional collaborators including PR agency Wordville and presentation skills experts Spokenword Ltd. 

The Programme offers a unique combination of artistic, professional and business support specific to the creative industries, as well as a chance to win funding to progress business ventures. 

It is the UK’s only incubator that is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs from the performing arts. 

Impact
“Guildhall Creative Entrepreneurs has certainly given me the skills, tools and confidence to make the orchestra work. Since starting the course our donations have increased ten-fold year-on-year.”
Spencer Down, Founder & Director, Docklands Sinfonia

Since its launch in 2014, the Creative Entrepreneurs programme has successfully supported the growth of 46 businesses and social enterprises in performance, production, education and digital fields, 90% of which are now profit-making. Some of the organisations we have supported include: 

 

 

We are delighted to be able to offer a bursary place each year, funded by the Guild of Entrepreneurs' Trust.

Case Study

GetGo Culture is a theatre subscription service, providing users with hand-picked tickets to arts events based on the individual’s preferences and availability. Since participating in the Creative Entrepreneurs programme in 2017/18, Joshua has run a successful crowdfunding campaign and taken the business to its first round of investment.

“From the financial support, to the hands-on intensive sessions with staff, the course supported me throughout and gave me the confidence to take the daunting first steps of launching a business. There’s no question that without Guildhall/Cause4’s guidance and expertise, I would not be running a company.”

Joshua Beecham, Founder, GetGo Culture

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