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Creative Futures: the impact of localised business support

Two people stood at a podium, delivering a presentation about Creative Futures.
  • Written byNicole Horgan
  • Published date 01 October 2023
Two people stood at a podium, delivering a presentation about Creative Futures.

Harnessing the talent of 47 young entrepreneurs from South London over a five month period at Camberwell College of Arts, the Creative Futures business support programme offered 18–25 year olds living local to UAL the support to shape and build creative businesses with social and environmental impact.

Made possible by funding from STRIDE, Creative Futures was co-designed with local founders to best enable the development of emerging creative businesses, whilst addressing some of the social, cultural, and economic barriers faced by entrepreneurs from under-served communities in South London. Based out of Camberwell College of Arts, Creative Futures forms part of a Southwark eco-system of UAL physical spaces and programmes offering training, business support and knowledge exchange opportunities.

Focussing on support at a grassroots level, Creative Futures worked with entrepreneurs at idea and pre-launch stages. Businesses spanned the range of the creative and digital industries, including product design, immersive technology production, social-enterprise, circular fashion, music management, curatorial, publishing and ad-tech. Of the participating founders, 89% were women or non-binary people and over two thirds (69%) were from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background.

UAL offered this cohort of young entrepreneurs a space for experimentation, discovery and peer-learning. Utilising REBEL, UAL’s framework for recognition of experience-based education and learning, the programme provided an adaptive guide to the complex mix of skills necessary to launch and sustain a viable business. Each individual had access to over 30-hours of mentoring, workshops and specialist business clinics alongside online webinars and content, to support them towards their own specific goals. As a result of this tailored training, participants found that:

  • 100% had improved confidence in themselves and their business skills, as well as in the future of their business.
  • 85% felt that they had made significant progress towards their business goals because of the programme and had better incorporated values into their business plan.

"I now have a clear idea of the roadmap it takes to move forward and build a business that I'm in love with." Creative Futures Participating Founder

Since taking part, founders have gone on to secure innovation fellowships, funding, and investment, win makerspace residencies, new clients and creative employment opportunities, as well as employing people themselves. Enterprises have since collaborated with UAL and local cultural organisations and continue to keep build relationships with programme mentors, business coaches and peers.

For Reianna Shakil, Founder and Director of circular design practice Studio ZRX and participant on the programme, starting her own business provided ‘a chance for me to create a voice for myself as an emerging designer… specifically one who is a neurodivergent person of colour and with no background of privilege.’ Throughout the programme, she used the facilitated space to work on her business model, to define and refine her studio’s value proposition and to build her confidence as a designer and founder. Mentorship by UAL graduates Selce Studio offered a focused look at life as a design practice with whom she developed her mission statement and business manifesto. The pairing also proved invaluable for asking specific questions about the ins and outs of setting up a practice. Creative Futures was a platform for Reianna’s first business pitch, as well as her first speaking engagement on a panel – ‘it really helped cement my sense of self-belief’. During the programme Reianna applied for and was awarded an Under-25s residency at Makerversity to further the development of her concept. She has also since gone on to win the highly competitive UKRI Young Innovators Awards 22/23 by Innovate UK, receiving £5k grant funding, living expenses, and tailored business support and mentoring for developing her ‘pebble’ concept.

We have developed Creative Futures as a tool for the next generation of creative leaders and innovators. With social purpose key to UAL’s mission, we aimed to support founders as part of our local ecosystem, kick-starting businesses and routes to self-employment in our communities, for a creative economy in South London that is diverse and inclusive - now and in the future. We hope that this work will continue with further iterations holding space for local young people to intersect with the work and research happening at UAL, building opportunities for collaboration between emerging businesses and our staff, students and graduates.

— Rachael Baskeyfield, Creative Futures Programme Manager

Head to the Creative Futures webpage and find out more about the impact taking part in the programme had on all the founders, organisations and communities involved.

  • Applications for Creative Futures 2024 will open in autumn 2023
  • If you are interested in getting involved in Creative Futures, as a potential participant, mentor or funder, get in touch at creativefutures@arts.ac.uk