The call for applications to join Bethnal Green Ventures (BGV) closes on October 28, meaning there is only a few days left to apply and that there is still time.
BGV is a three-month accelerator program located in London that searches exclusively for early-stage technology startups tackling social or environmental problems. They invest £15,000 in each company by taking 6 percent equity from the business.
Some of the past companies that they have backed include Fairphone, a company creating an ethical smartphone, and GoodGym, which organizes physical tasks for its members such as making deliveries to the elderly.
We’re looking for early stage technology startups who are tackling a social or environmental problem. That could be anything from fixing healthcare to reducing carbon emissions or improving education to reducing crime – the key is that your idea must have the potential to help millions of people somewhere along the line.
Examples of problematic areas that BGV thinks are interesting to solve are:
- The health and wellbeing of an ageing population
- The educational attainment and employability of children and young people
- The social and environmental sustainability of communities
Having a company is not a requirement to apply. They are not looking for business plans or financial projections. The idea can be very early-stage and BGV will help set up the company. What they are looking is a strong understanding of the problem and passion for solving it, a team that knows how to work together and complements each other, the potential to change millions of lives, and a plan and commitment for measuring the social impact of the venture.
Startups will be given office space from Nesta or Google Campus offices in London. Those outside the UK will need to be able to live there.