A2F will give companies throughout Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex direct access to some of the UK’s top business coaches for one-to-one guidance. It is designed to support companies with the ambition, capacity and capability to double their turnover in the next 3-5 years by offering specialist finance coaching. A2F also includes regular Masterclasses covering business planning, pitching for investment and applying for grants to help businesses optimise their investment proposition and maximize their chances of raising finance.
St John’s Innovation Centre is the obvious choice to deliver A2F. In the past four years, the team - which includes successful entrepreneurs, investors, former bankers, grant experts and sector specialists - has supported companies in raising over £17M in equity, bank and grant finance with sums raised ranging from £10,000 to £4M. Managing Director David Gill recently co-authored ‘Show me the money: How to raise the cash to get your business off the ground’ now being reprinted after selling out in six months.
David Gill, Managing Director at St John’s Innovation Centre, said: “Adding A2F was an obvious move for us. Many innovative firms with the highest potential need external funding to scale fast. They form our natural client base, so we’ve built up a pool of seasoned and successful coaches to deliver finance- readiness advice. But the great advantage of us also offering Business Development Coaching is that we can likewise serve ambitious firms for whom funding is not the priority.”
St John’s team of highly-experienced Growth Managers has been the regional delivery partner for GrowthAccelerator’s Business Development Coaching stream since 2012 and has helped over 160 local companies to accelerate their growth, avoid costly common pitfalls, developing new products, grow their team, or progress from strategy to implementation.
A2F is open to businesses registered in England with fewer than 250 employees and turnover below £40million across many sectors. The impressive coaching panel spans a broad range of expertise including high-tech, life sciences, telecoms, manufacturing, construction, logistics and food.
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For further information about GrowthAccelerator go to www.growthaccelerator.com or contact St John’s Innovation Centre to speak to a Growth Manager on 01223 422378 or coaching@stjohns.co.uk.
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