A new accelerator programme launched today by Ex-Dragon and CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw, James Caan, is offering first class business support and access to multi-million pound funding for the UK’s most innovative green entrepreneurs.

The Berti Green Accelerator programme, supported by Caan’s Hamilton Bradshaw Impact Partners (HBIP), is searching for three successful low carbon businesses to award six months of first-class business support from HBIP and the opportunity to receive funding of up to £1million each from Berti Investments.
 
Whilst UK economic growth has substantially slowed since 2008, venture capital investment into the UK’s cleantech sector increased in 2011 for the sixth year in a row, to over £350million. With considerable work still to be done to reach 2020 carbon reduction targets, significant opportunities lie ahead for green entrepreneurs.
 
Berti Investments believes the low carbon sector can drive impactful growth that serves a triple bottom line: profit, people and planet, but green entrepreneurs need access to the right kind of business support and finance in order for this to happen.
 
The Berti Green Accelerator programme is open to any conceptually good, low carbon UK business with growth potential and a proof of concept. The three successful businesses will have to demonstrate that their business aims to tackle climate change by sustainably reducing carbon emissions.
 
James Caan, founder and CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw said: “The Berti Green Accelerator programme has been developed by Berti Investments and HBIP following a shared commitment to making a difference through impact investing. The programme combines my desire to seek out and support potential high growth businesses with my interest in impact investing.
 
“The impact investing market place is growing, but many entrepreneurs struggle to become investment ready due to lack of experience or knowledge about certain aspects of their business, such as financial or operational know-how. The Berti Green Accelerator programme tackles this by blending bespoke business support with access to capital. It’s what we call intelligent capital.”
 
Jeremy Leggett, Berti Green Accelerator judge and founder and Chairman of Solarcentury said: “Renewable and energy efficiency technologies will have to replace fossil fuels far faster than most people currently anticipate. In the UK, we have the potential to source all of our primary energy from renewables, such and solar photovolatics, wind and marine technologies, but to do this we need an explosive growth in all renewable and energy efficient technology markets.
 
“The UK needs fast-growing domestic renewable energy businesses more than ever, and programmes like the Berti Green Accelerator, that provide investment and support for cleantech businesses, are vital for encouraging growth and stimulating this sector.”
 
Applications for the fund are now open with a closing date of 17th April 2012. Shortlisted candidates will pitch to a Dragons’ Den style panel of judges including James Caan, Jeremy Leggett (Founder and Chairman of Solarcentury), Michael Liebreich (Founder and Chief Executiveof Bloomberg New Energy Finance) and Jacques Tredoux (Berti Investments).
 
For further information or to apply go to www.bertiinvestments.com

Leadership and Sustainability Seminar from the University of Cumbria supported by Northern Leadership Academy

Why adopting a people, profit, planet approach is good for your business

The seminar will allow you:

• to demonstrate and raise awareness of sustainability and how it can be a successful business model
  

• to provide an opportunity for delegates to learn and reflect on their own leadership practice
  

• to investigate how leadership and sustainability are connected and the influence this can have
  

• to provide a diverse of network of contacts enabling delegates to share experiences and learning both during and after the event

The seminars are held at the University of Cumbria's Ambleside campus.

The Pitch, the UK’s biggest small business competition, has started 2012’s search for the UK’s top small companies to compete for a prestigious £50,000 prize package.

The awards presented by BusinessZone.co.uk and in association with Yell, the digital services provider for SMEs and consumers, The Pitch, now in its fifth year, has championed UK small businesses since 2008, helping hundreds of business owners drive their business forward.
 
Dan Martin, editor of BusinessZone.co.uk, says: “We started The Pitch five years ago to give entrepreneurs a platform to gain expert advice and create interest in their businesses.  Each year, The Pitch has grown both in the number of applicants and reach.  We are building upon the success of The Pitch last year to make 2012 the biggest year ever by introducing The Pitch 80, a new social profile presence for the short listed businesses, and The Pitch Live.  Yell has been a key partner supporting the growth of the competition since The Pitch’s inception in 2008, and I’m delighted to announce that Yell will continue its support again this year.”
 

The Pitch 2012 will host a series of judging days in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  Before each judging day, local business owners will be able to attend a special event to meet the judges in person and gain valuable advice on how to pitch and build a successful business.   A panel of experts will short list 20 from each country to create ‘The Pitch 80’, a list of the UK’s most exciting new businesses that will compete at the new two-day conference, The Pitch Live, in Liverpool during October.
 
Four winners will go through to The Pitch 2012 Grand Final on 16 November at one of London’s biggest nightclubs. Another 16 entrants will compete for a wildcard place which will be decided by the public. The wildcard winner will be the fifth finalist at the final and join the other four business owners pitching to win business support worth £50,000.
 
As well as the new two-day event, The Pitch 2012 sees the introduction of a new social profile presence for entrepreneurs to showcase their companies, rally support from audiences and encourage public votes. The business owner who generates the most buzz around their brand will be rewarded.
 
Richard Hanscott, chief executive officer for Yell in the UK, said: “The Pitch is a fantastic opportunity for any start-up to receive invaluable support and advice from business experts to help them succeed.  At Yell we champion small businesses and help them grow and we are especially excited about the launch of The Pitch 80 this year to celebrate budding entrepreneurs and help them generate greater online exposure.”
 
Ross Dickinson, creator of Kibosh, an ingenious device which provides a temporary fix for burst pipes, was crowned overall champion of The Pitch in 2011. He says: “Being involved in The Pitch 2011 allowed me to make valuable connections with like-minded business people and being crowned the champion was amazing.  The prizes have already made a big impact on my company.  Yell has given me a fantastic digital marketing package to raise our profile;  Studio Diva, one of the other companies which donated a prize, has put together some fantastic packaging for my product, and Karen Darby, the entrepreneur who is mentoring me as a result of my victory, has offered me brilliant business advice.  I would highly recommend entering The Pitch 2012 to small business owners.”
 
You can find out more about the competition and submit entries by visiting www.ThePitchUK.com   Applications must be in by May with judging taking place over the summer.
 
The Pitch grand final takes place in London on 16 November during Global Entrepreneurship Week.