Startups from around the world are being called on to apply to
join the first investment portfolio of the Venture Studio from
Crisis. The Studio will invest in, support and scale ventures
that help accelerate the end of homelessness.
The Venture Studio, from national homelessness
charity Crisis, will work with start-ups which could benefit from
expert support to develop impactful solutions that will help to
end homelessness within our lifetime.
From November 18th start-ups, will be
encouraged to apply to join Crisis’ Venture Studio to develop and
scale solutions.
The Venture Studio is actively seeking to invest in
its first cohort of start-ups, looking for solutions likely
within the Proptech, Fintech, Healthtech, Cleantech or Edtech
sectors that have the potential to, or are already, preventing
homelessness, creating new housing or are ending homelessness at
a societal or individual level.
As part of the Venture Studio, startups will get
funding, access to experts and insight and the opportunity to
regularly co-create and test solutions alongside those with lived
experience. Startups will also get access to coaches, mentors,
investors and other relevant networks that can support and scale
their businesses.
Crisis has developed the Venture Studio to explore
new ways of tackling homelessness and is building on the
charity’s existing innovative and entrepreneurial culture. This
includes:
-
Providing innovation grants for homeless
organisations and housing led projects
-
Changing Lives grants, which support clients to
develop and build their own businesses as a means to end their
own homelessness through self-employment
-
The recently launched Next Steps programme, working
in partnership with Impact Hub Kings Cross to offer mentoring
and access to funding for people experiencing
homelessness.
Liz Choonara, Head of Entrepreneurship at
Crisis, said: “In 21st century Britain, everybody should
have a safe place to call home. We know that to end homelessness
we need affordable housing and forward-thinking policies, but we
must also find innovative new solutions to prevent homelessness
from happening in the first place and to tackle its
consequences.
“We’re incredibly excited to have launched the
Venture Studio at a time where impact investment has grown
significantly in recognition that the right ventures can succeed
in tackling some of society’s toughest challenges. We are looking
forward to working with innovative start-ups as well as
organisations from a wide range of sectors, from local government
to academia to other homelessness organisations, to end
homelessness for good.”
, Founder of
PUBLIC and supporter of the Venture Studio, said:
"Creating an environment that connects startup founders - some of
the country’s most driven, technologically skilled individuals -
with those who have lived experiences of homelessness, is an
inspired route to building a community that can tackle large
societal problems in new ways.
“There is an increasing understanding of the
importance of improving technology in the third-sector - opening
up the market for new ideas, and encouraging founders to innovate
this space, confident that there will be charities, like Crisis,
who will support them to create genuine transformation at
scale.”
The first cohort will begin in February 2021, and to
apply to join the Venture Studio before 8th January at
www.crisis.org.uk/venturestudio
