A Leeds-based digital agency has launched an exclusive peer-to-peer support group for entrepreneurs of fast-growing local firms.
City centre-based firm, LightStart, runs free innovative events for businesspeople across the city to attend.
Following the success of its 50+ informal networking and learning events each year, it has added a workshop style supportive group, ‘Scale Up Leeds’ to its roster.
The founding members to join Scale Up Leeds include Mark Walsh, of online interactive quiz, KwizzBit, Omair Vaiyani and James Gupta of award-winning Leeds-based online software company, Synap and MacComms PR agency founder, Ellie MacDonald.
The event’s exclusivity means that attendees are leaders of scaling firms, identified by a minimum of two years trading, three members of staff with active growth plans, ensures that business leaders support each other through their journeys to scale their own businesses.
Commenting on the event, LightStart co-founder Dan Akers comments:
“Leeds is home to some impressive businesses which we see through our various networking and training events. This year we identified the need to provide a supportive platform for some of the key high-growth businesses. Scale Up Leeds is an exclusive initiative which operates an invite-only approach from other members of the group to ensure a high calibre of attendees well-placed to support each other.”
Attendees are recruited from existing members of the group.
Meeting monthly in the tech hub of Platform, each group member provides an update on a recent success and challenge with a few minutes to discuss this further. Support and connections from other members of the group is encouraged to help with the challenges.
Omair Vaiyani from Synap adds:
“I have attended a number of these kind of events in the past and have found that they are often too broad to gain sufficient value from them. Scale Up Leeds is a monthly event with continuity from your last month’s challenges which helps to hold you accountable, gives you focus and helps to cement business decisions to support our firm’s growth.”
