Celebrating one year of The FWD Project!
Celebrating one year of The FWD Project with Dr Becky Sage!
Our Future Health Frontiers Week is about looking forward and celebrating the start-ups and solutions that will help solve critical health and mental health in the future.
But, one year into The FWD Project, it’s also an excellent time to reflect on what’s been achieved so far.
The stats make for impressive reading but don’t tell the full story. So, we caught up with Becky Sage, the programme’s Entrepreneur in Residence, to get her perspective on the programme's progress and the companies participating.
“It has been incredible to see the engagement on The FWD Project. The health and wellness sector is thriving, and there are so many early-stage businesses in this space in the West of England. Most of the companies that we work with are passionate about getting their business and product off the ground, but they are also often lacking in the tools, knowledge and networks that they need to get to where they want to go, which is why they are so hungry for support. After a few months of working with the companies, we see a big shift as they develop the skills and get the introductions needed to get them moving.”
“One of my favourite aspects of my involvement in The FWD Project is providing companies with a support network, whether that be through one to ones with me or through the wider peer group. Being a founder can be lonely, and founders are often very hard on themselves, beating themselves up if things take longer than expected or if barriers are harder to overcome than they think they should be. Having the support can help them to get an important perspective that no founders find it easy, but there are ways to stay resilient and feel satisfied with your work as a founder.”
“Whilst there are practical things I can do for founders, I see the biggest part of my job with founders to be related to mindset. When founders first come on the programme they often think of running a business as the same as doing any job - you acquire the knowledge you need and then put it into practice. This type of pragmatism can initially be very helpful, but it doesn’t account for some of the bigger barriers and opportunities afforded to entrepreneurs. We often see a big shift to a more strategic way of thinking, with founders growing in confidence as they really step into their leadership role.”
“It has been exciting to see companies go from being brand new to achieving their first investment or customer as they work with us on FWD.”
“Many early-stage health tech companies come to us because they are stuck in a catch-22 – they don’t have money, so they can’t build a product, and they think they can’t get money because they don’t have product traction. There is some truth to that, but there are ways through the catch-22. We help founders take small steps to move the needle. I’ve seen several companies gain clarity and focus since starting FWD, and it is the clarity and focus that helps them get market validation, income, and ultimately, a product/MVP that the users actually want.”
The FWD Project is designed to support health and wellbeing start-ups in the South West (or those with business connections to the area).
Find out more and tap into the support available!
The FWD Project is a unique collaboration connecting residents directly with local employers, innovation and research activity, and events. Creating collisions between upskilling or reskilling learners, employees, scaling businesses and researchers, leading to personal, professional and economic growth across the region. FWD supports health and wellbeing start-ups as well as upskilling talent in Bath, North East Somerset and the Wider Combined Authority Region. Partners on the project are the University of Bath, Bath Spa University, Bath College and Bath & North East Somerset Council and funded by the West of England Combined Authority.