New Entrepreneurs Foundation

New Entrepreneurs Foundation (NEF) is a London-based non-profit that runs a development programme for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Founded in 2010 by Oliver Pawle, Dee Stirling, Sir Nigel Rudd and The Lord Davies of Abersoch CBE, the NEF programme was designed to support and accelerate the next generation of UK entrepreneurs building industry leading, scalable businesses.

NEF differentiates itself from other incubators and accelerators in that it solely focuses on the entrepreneurial potential of its intake rather than existing venture ideas.

Also unlike other incubators and accelerators, it does not require the contribution of equity from its participants’ ventures. It is entirely funded through corporate and individual sponsorship. See Sponsors and Funding for more information.

Currently based in London under the guidance of a Board of Trustees (see Leadership) and CEO Neeta Patel.

Registered UK Charity No. 1140102

Company No. 07469562

Each year the NEF announces the start of the yearly programme and from the applicants it selects a cohort of anywhere between 20 and 50 participants to take part and they can be at any stage from pre-ideation to running a venture full-time.

The programme runs similar to an academic year, starting in September and concluding at the end of June with a graduation presentation. It is delivered in five main ways:

1. Paid Work Placement - Candidates are placed with high-growth start-ups such as Secret Escapes, Uber and E-Leather.

2. Learning and Development Workshops - Candidates attend training workshops provided in partnership with business schools, including UCL, London Business School and other specialist training providers. Workshops cover topics such as Negotiation, Web Development and Pitching.

3. Speaker Series - Events to which the participants and network are invited. Past speakers include Dido Harding (CEO, Talk Talk), Gerry Murphy, (Chairman, Blackstone), Dr. Hermann Hauser CBE (co-founder, Amadeus Capital Partners), Lara Morgan (co-founder, StartUp Britain), Brett Akker (founder, Streetcar, now Zipcar) and Marcia Kilgore (founder, Bliss, FitFlop & the Soap & Glory range)

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