Introducing a pilot Safety Tech Academy

News

The Safety Tech sector is innovative and mission-driven, and full of possibilities for companies looking to protect users and communities online and support the creation of a safer and better internet for everyone. 

Following research conducted on the needs of this sector in the Skills and Capabilities report and the UK Safety Tech Sector 2021 Analysis, DCMS and KTN are looking to create learning opportunities for companies in this sector to scale. 

Through the Safety Tech Innovation Network, we are partnering with Consequential and Considered Capital to run a pilot Safety Tech Academy with a targeted cohort of early stage businesses to test ways to support them in creating good products, building sustainable businesses, and growing the sector and its impact. 

Pilot Safety Tech Academy

The pilot Academy will focus on helping a cohort of up to 10 Safety Tech companies who are about to scale to co-design materials that will help them build the market for Safety Tech. 

Format of the pilot Academy: The Academy will be led by a set of expert practitioners with a track record of helping impact-driven companies attract capital investment and establish sustainable growth plans.

The format of the course will be:

  • 1.5hr online sessions – each week will introduce concepts that are essential to an early stage business and be accompanied by a co-design session for companies to start creating sector-level materials and resources that will support their future.
  • Access to teachable platform – an all-in-one online course platform hosting curated pre-recorded videos by subject matter experts, the decks used during live sessions, and links to extra reading materials for participants to access on their own time. 
  • Online office hours – 1hr access to facilitators for any participant to drop by and ask questions, receive coaching, or follow-up on the materials created in sessions.

Academy topics: We have designed the course to provide growing Safety Tech companies with practical and actionable information they can use to develop a plan to scale.

The core topics will be split across six weeks as follows:

  • Week 1, week of 14 February –  Building a Network and Attracting Advisors
  • Week 2, week of 21 February – Growing High Performing Teams
  • Week 3, week of 28 February – Building a Relevant Brand
  • Week 4, week of 7 March – Attracting Investment
  • Week 5, week of 14 March – Going International
  • Week 6, week of 21 March – Designing your Roadmap

The Academy will run for six weeks in February and March 2022, for a total of 15 hours. There will be no charge for companies to participate.

Objectives for this pilot Safety Tech Academy

We conducted a short discovery phase before designing the pilot, which allowed us to gain indications of the challenges an Academy could help to address. Our objectives for this pilot Safety Tech Academy are:

  • BUSINESS RELEVANCY: to provide small companies with the resources they need in the moment to build and mature their business and create a roadmap for their future
  • POSITIVE SECTOR IMPACT: to provide targeted and tailored support that influences the conditions for a sector to create trustworthy technology
  • CREATE A COLLABORATIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE: to provide access to a cohort-based learning opportunity with meaningful content business leaders can’t find elsewhere
  • BUILD A VALUE PROPOSITION: to determine the benefit of providing an academy while building a sector

How to take part in the pilot

This pilot Academy will focus on understanding and supporting the needs of earlier-stage Safety Tech businesses that are looking to scale.

To participate in the pilot, you will need to:

  • have a market-ready, or near-market-ready, Safety Tech product;
  • be preparing for a period of scaling (for example, have a growth strategy in place);
  • commit to attending the Academy for 15 hours of tuition and learning during February and March;
  • have between 4 and 15 employees;
  • have a trading presence in the UK.

As this is a trial programme, we will also be seeking to:

  • build an overall trial cohort of companies which represent different categories of Safety Tech;
  • recognise the need to build sector diversity through supporting under-represented groups in tech.

If you are interested in participating in the pilot, you will need to apply by 23:59 on Sunday 6th February.

Alternatively, drop us a line at safetytech@ktn-uk.org to find out more.

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