Foundervine

The Holiday Season is Here!🎄 Foundervine wishes you a joyful, peaceful, and inspiring holiday season✨. As we reflect on the year, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported, collaborated, and journeyed with us. Your contributions have made this year truly remarkable, and your support has been one of the driving forces behind our shared success and growth. Here's to greater achievements, more impactful collaborations, and bigger milestones in the year ahead!🥂 Happy Holidays and see you in 2025!🎉 #HappyHolidays #SeasonOfGratitude #ThankYou #BuildingTheFuture #GreaterWorksAhead

That's a wrap! What a year it’s been for the Wray Forward Programme! 🎉💚 From big ideas to bold moves, we’ve had an incredible journey helping Black Businesses and entrepreneurs level up this year, and here's a snippet of what we've been up to: ✨ Business Building Workshops - 396 future bosses learning from the very best in the industry 💸 Pitch Nights - £20,000 in grant funding awarded to our compelling pitch winners 📚 Wray Forward Powerbook - 25 exceptional black entrepreneurs spotlighted for their incredible achievements 🍹 Mixers - 135 like-minded founders, entrepreneurs and experts came together to inspire, connect, and grow - and the vibes were unmatched 🤝 Founder Growth Circles - 25 trailblazers shared ideas, challenges, successes and opportunities for growth A huge shoutout to everyone who showed up, showed out. Your energy and passion made this year unforgettable. Here’s to building even bigger and brighter futures together! 🔥 You can now register your interest for Wray Forward 2025: https://lnkd.in/gZNffYX2 Join the family and become part of the Wray Forward ecosystem 💚💚. -- Wray Forward is a free, inclusive and accessible programme brought to you by Wray & Nephew to champion the forward movement of Black businesses all over the UK. Gusto Snacks | Chuku's - Nigerian Tapas Restaurant | Known Source | Cháps | Ron Timehin | Ugo Agbai | Liseli Sumbwanyambe | Marisa Poster | Kufa Matiya | Tahlia Gray | Liha Okunniwa | To My Sisters | Tope ‘Icie’ Chiedozie CIPD | Arlyne Chinyanganya ACMA CGMA MIP #WrayForward #LevelUp #EntrepreneurLife #GrowTogether #Entrepreneurship #Growth #Community

The Barclays Black Venture Growth Programme Demo Day was a truly inspiring celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship!🌟 After 16 weeks of hard work and dedication, 7 outstanding growth-stage founders pitched their ventures to a panel of judges and a live audience, showcasing impactful ideas designed to create lasting change. We are thrilled to announce SONA (School of New Africa) as the People’s Choice Winner!🎉. Founded by Andre Hackett and Fuse ODG, SONA is revolutionising education by teaching African history, culture, and financial literacy through an engaging, gamified platform. Linked to a prepaid debit card, it empowers children to connect with their heritage while learning financial responsibility, as parents top up their pocket money weekly. Are you a growth-stage founder ready to elevate your business? Click on the link to register your interest to join the 2025 Barclays Black Venture Growth Programme: https://bit.ly/3DjX11S School of New Africa Rare Eat TwoShot Fxbud Limited Trade Assist PayAngel MedTech Solutions Barclays Eagle Labs #BarclaysBVG #EmpoweringFounders #InnovationInEducation #BlackExcellence #FutureLeaders #SONA #DemoDay

At Foundervine, we work hard, but we know how to celebrate the season too! 🎄🎁 We fully embraced the holiday spirit with a fun and festive Secret Santa! From thoughtful gifts to heartfelt laughter, it was a wonderful reminder of the importance of connection, community, and joy🎉. This was the perfect way to wrap up a year of impact, growth, and collaboration, as we reflect on the moments that truly matter. Here’s a glimpse into our celebrations—filled with smiles, gratitude, and holiday cheer. #SecretSanta #TeamFoundervine #Gratitude #HolidayMoments #SeasonOfJoy

How do you end the year on a high note? ⬆️ With good company, deep conversations, and a shared sense of purpose, that's how! 🤗 This week, we hosted our final in-person event of 2024 as part of the Immerse Programme with Lloyds Banking Group—a more intimate gathering of founders brimming with ideas and building businesses that truly matter. The conversations were as impactful as the people. We reflected on the year, tackled the ever-relevant topic of mental health, and explored AI's dual nature. One founder brilliantly likened AI to fire 🔥: it can light the way and keep us warm, but if unchecked, it can also burn. As 2025 looms, many are eyeing AI for productivity gains, but we also discussed the bias it can perpetuate and the importance of shaping its output to reflect our values. Thank you to the wonderful Ayo Awotona for hosting such a great discussion. A special moment of the day was recognising our Immerse Champions for their incredible contributions: Subira Jones, Neil Bland, Natasha Orumbie, and Kwame Boateng—your impact has been immeasurable. Hearing encouragement from Beth Knight made the day even more special. And a massive shoutout to the entire Lloyds Bank team for supporting Immerse for a third year running—your partnership makes this possible. Thank you Khalia Ismain 😉 ! As we sign off for the year, I want to remind founders to carve out time for rest (even if that’s easier said than done). 2024 was intense, and 2025 might just top it—but let’s tackle it together 💪🏾. Team 🙏🏾Bukky Dan-Musa | Shade Adeniji | Meliza Ann Mendoza | Izzy Obeng #Founders #Entrepreneurship #AI #MentalHealth #Community #LloydsBank #ImmerseProgramme

We've officially launched our African soft-drinks in Co-op in 120 STORES NATIONWIDE🍹🚨🎉 We’re excited to be bringing Cháps to shelves in so many different regions across the UK. We started Cháps in 2022 with the mission to bring African beverages to the mainstream. For African drinks to not only be represented across the beverage industry, but to be household names known and enjoyed by all communities. And it feels like we’re a step closer to achieving this. Big thanks again to Jack Clayton, Kelly Orme, Rebecca Oliver-Mooney and the rest of the Co-op Apiary team for believing in our vision and for all the support. I hope you all enjoy watching the launch ad our Creative Director Tas Ashubs and the very talented Dellali Defor directed and produced! 📍If you fancy a delicious African soft-drink, have a look at our store locator to find the closest Co-op stocking Cháps near you: https://lnkd.in/ejyzKkpv

Why do we feel like imposters 🦹♂️ when we’re growing?🤔 . .. ... When you look different, you usually think different. And when you think different, you notice stuff others miss. You start questioning what everyone else just accepts as “normal.” It can feel isolating, sure, but here’s my take: every doubt, every awkward moment? It’s a potential superpower. I had an amazing chat with Hattie Willis on the Not My First Guess Podcast, where I shared my journey—from being the odd one out in technical roles and management, to co-founding Foundervine with Izzy. We talked about everything: intrapreneurship to entrepreneurship, the #1 mistake founders make (yep, I’ve made it too), and why financial modelling isn’t just for spreadsheets—it’s a game-changer. It’s not often I dive this deep into my story, so if you’re curious, grab the link from the comments and have a listen! #Entrepreneurship #LeadershipJourney #DiversityInBusiness #LevelUp

I'm delighted to announce that applications are open! Our next business showcase is in March and we are looking for the most extraordinary purpose-led founders to pitch to 50+ Daring Capital investors. We offer: 👊  £50k - £200k investment into companies 👊  Free legal support with your raise 👊  Advice and mentoring from an experienced group of angels Successful applicants also get access to a range of other founder benefits including pitching training, financial model support and access to customers and partnership opportunities. Since our launch in September 2023, we have raised over £1m for purpose-driven founders and we are aiming to close a lot more over the next few months. To find out more, check out our website: https://lnkd.in/ecDtXqie Got a question? Sign up to one of our Q&As: https://lnkd.in/eeDSPmuX Please share so more purpose-driven founders have the chance to apply!

Cambridge Social Innovation Prize 2024 ✨ I’m truly honoured to receive this year’s Cambridge Social Innovation Prize, recognising the impact we’ve created at Foundervine This award goes beyond a monetary prize — it offers tailored support from University of Cambridge empowering me to strengthen my leadership and further expand Foundervine’s mission. It’s a privilege to be celebrated alongside such visionary changemakers driving social impact across the UK - Daryl Chambers, Camilla Rigby, Rachel Mostyn and JR Josephs A heartfelt thank you to the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, Cambridge Judge Business School, Trinity Hall and Graham Ross Russell for believing in the power of entrepreneurship to transform society 🚀