People and Purpose

No.10 Business Engagement – Startups & Scaleups

Date: 2021-2023 Duration: 24 months

Organisation: UK Government

Impact Narratives: Policy in Action, Voice of Innovation

Overview

Led the creation of a new business engagement strategy between 10 Downing Street and the UK’s startup and scaleup ecosystem. Designed to build trust and surface actionable insight, the program connected entrepreneurs directly with senior policymakers through curated roundtables, regional roadshows, and founder-led convenings.

Focus Areas

Policy & Innovation Strategy
Ecosystem Engagement Design
Stakeholder Mapping & Management
Founder-Led Convenings
Regional Outreach & Insight Gathering

The Challenge

Strengthen the UK’s position as a global innovation leader by ensuring that policymaking was informed by real-world entrepreneurial experience.

The Solution

Built a national program of founder engagements, deliberately structured to decentralise insight-gathering and bring fresh, underrepresented voices into policy conversations. Prioritised regional inclusion and long-term relationship building between government and the innovation economy.

The Outcome

The strategy created genuine two-way dialogue between government and the business community, helping shape key policies on growth, funding, and access to skills. Founders who participated went on to play advisory roles at the highest levels, embedding entrepreneurial insight into future policymaking.