Investment readiness support, tailored to you: workshops, peer sessions and one-to-one expertise, aiming to get you investment-ready within 12 months.
Asset-locked social or community enterprises in Scotland, usually with some trading history, that need finance and haven't secured social investment before.
Inclusive dance and fitness classes, and equipment, taken to rural community halls across Orkney, paid for by memberships, pay-as-you-go classes and private events.
Start It → Build It → LaunchMe → Step Up · Orkney
Venison from overpopulated deer on a family farm near Pitlochry becomes donations for food banks and community larders, funded by sales from a social enterprise butcher's shop on the high street.
Start It → Build It → Social Innovation Challenge → LaunchMe → Step Up · Pitlochry, Perthshire
Yes. Grant funding, one-to-one business advice, investment readiness support and social investment services are free to clients. Firstport is paid to deliver programmes for the Scottish Government, foundations and other public-sector partners.
No. Most people feel they're missing skills at the beginning, and it isn't a barrier. Many Start It awardees had never run a business before. A business advisor helps with things like your business model, pricing and legal structure.
If it trades to make a profit and reinvests that profit in doing good, it could be. Social enterprises are businesses that use their profits for positive impact, reinvesting them in their communities and the people they serve. There's no single legal structure. If your idea is purpose-led but not a social enterprise, Firstport's sister company Firstimpact may be able to help.
