ERDF CAP Education Format Manager – The Accelerator Network
Capital Enterprise has won a bid from the Greater London Authority (GLA) to work on a project called CAP (Capital Accelerator Programme). CAP aims to provide additional new resources, expertise and know-how to both expand and enhance the provision of business support available in London to potential scalable and investable businesses in the Digital, Science and Technology sectors.
Starting in September 2013 and running until June 2015 this programme aims to help 541 London based SMEs with high growth potential to receive intensive advice and practical support that will enable at least 160 of them to raise collectively over £8m of investment funding from business angels and early stage venture capitalist and thereby enable these SME’s to create a minimum 234 new jobs in London.
To deliver a programme of interventions and activities the CAP has assembled a partnership comprising of the leading players in London that support early stage entrepreneurs in the Digital, Science and Technology sectors.
BACKGROUND
The Accelerator Network is an end-to-end support programme for the UK’s highest growth tech startups. It is funded by White Horse Capital LLP, a technology, media and telecoms investment and corporate finance boutique established in 2008, and led by Ian Merricks, Keith Marriott, and chaired by Christopher Weston.
The Accelerator Network encompasses existing startup support programmes, such as one of the UK and Europe’s leading accelerators; the Accelerator Academy (www.AcceleratorAcademy.com), which has supported 84 companies within the last 3 years, helping its alumni secure over £13m of seed funding, and generate a combined “portfolio” post-money valuation of £100m+. White Horse Capital owns options of 1.5-2.5% of these companies. The programme is widely recognised as one of the leading accelerators, due to the onward success and growth trajectory of its alumni.
Also within the Accelerator Network is a joint venture with City University London, Fast Forward (www.FFWDLondon.com), the pre-accelerator initiative supported by 14 leading accelerators and co-funded by the EU, to support higher numbers of tech startups at the start of their journey with input from the chartered institutions, providing professional coaching to early stage entrepreneurs.
The Accelerator Network also takes in a range of activities in the wider startup support ecosystem, and its management are active in creating more support mechanisms, principally but not exclusively based around investment and funding support. This includes a proposed post-accelerator investment fund, and a professionalised seed stage broking business unit, to ensure startups secure strategic funding in an efficient manner.
The Accelerator Network owns a stake in Startup Funding Club, a SEIS investment vehicle, and works closely with the UKTI supporting international startups relocating to the UK.
PURPOSE & DUTIES OF THE ROLE:
This Education Manager role has been created to help strengthen and grow our entrepreneurial education and startup support programmes.
- Pre-Accelerator Stage (Supporting earliest stage, high growth potential companies, seeking first funding, up to £150k). 6 week programme operated as a partnership with City University and EU.
- Building strong relationships with funding providers (both equity, such as SEIS funds, and non-equity such as grant providers [Technology Strategy Board] and debt providers including Startup Loans Company)
- Securing industry partnerships (chartered institutes, expanding on existing relationships with Chartered Institute of Marketing, BCS the Chartered Institute for IT Professionals and the Institute of Chartered Accountants)
- Maintaining active dialogue with the wider accelerator community
- Accelerator Stage (Supporting companies with some commercial traction, preparing for a professional seed round of £150-500k)
- Involvement in the Accelerator Academy to include input into startup selection, syllabus, speaker choice
- Support for companies engaged in the programme, and ongoing relationship management with alumni
- Supporting mentors (alongside admin support typically via MBA interns) on startup guidance and course involvement
- Input into commercial relationships with existing and new sponsors (to date: NatWest, Nabarro Lawyers, Pitmans Solictiors, Marriott Harrison lawyers, haysmacintyre accccountants, FreeAgent software, Dell, IBM’s Softlayer hosting, Rackspace hosting, Imaginary Cloud tech dev, and non-commercial contra-deal relationships with the Innovation Warehouse [City of London Corporation] and Fieldhouse Associates [PR])
- Leads to assessment and selection of companies requiring equity fundraising support for the Post Accelerator Stage.
- Post Accelerator Stage
- Assist in the preparation and launch of structured investor readiness training, via bootcamps and workshops
- Support the investment team in ensuring teams have received necessary investment preparation training.
- Format development
- Development of operations manuals, guidance notes and written syllabus content for all our early stage training programmes
- Support in delivering these, in house (for our own programmes) and for licensed / partners use of our education formats
- Proactive approach to researching potential format licensing partners, involvement in government and private sector tenders and bids
MEASURES OF SUCCESS
- Detail oriented role, confident and knowledgeable with clarifying and developing education support for entrepreneuurs, startups and SMEs, with an ability to ensure best practice and consistency across our accelerators, pre-accelerators and bespoke training initiatives.
- Secure long standing relationships with academia, government, chartered institutes and industry
- Well connected in the London tech scene, and with the ability to hold their own as a spokesperson for the accelerator sector and wider tech scene, with the necessary thought leadership, insight and energy this entails.
REMUNERATION
- Gross Salary, basic £25-30k pa
- Expected bonus £10k pa
- OTE: c£35-40k pa
COMMERCIAL GOALS AND BONUS STRUCTURE
- Pre-Accelerator
- Expand on existing syllabus framework
- Involve more industry partners and chartered institutes
- Potential to increase programme frequency from 2 to 3 pa
- OTE: £1,000 per semester (assume 2 = £2k)
- Accelerator Academy
- Aim to strengthen syllabus, guidance notes, briefing materials
- Improve “homework” feedback loop from mentors and Academy team
- OTE: £1k per semester (£3k)
- Post Accelerator Support
- Assumes new bootcamps are created (likely to be sponsor dependent)
- Run series of investor readiness educational bootcamps / workshops
- OTE: £500 per boot camp (expected minimum 4 x £500 = £2k)
- Format development
- Preparing bids and overseeing licensing of our formats to partners
- 5% of GP from this new activity
- OTE: £3-5k
Bonuses are open ended, and opportunities exist to get involved with The Accelerator Network’s other activities, likely to generate additional earning potential.
| Base | 25-30000 |
| Pre-Accelerator | 2000 |
| Accelerator Academy | 3000 |
| Post Accelerator | 2000 |
| Format development | 3000 |
| OTE | 35-40000 |
To apply for the vacancy please click on the ‘Application form’ link below complete and return back to Carly Lloyd: carly@capitalenterprise.org
For further information please contact Carly Lloyd on 020 7679 4598
The closing date for applications is 11th February 2015
